Glen Waverley Secondary College
Encyclopedia
Glen Waverley Secondary College is a public government school
located in Glen Waverley, Victoria
, Australia
. It is one of the four largest secondary schools in Victoria.
and Lawrence Secondary College (the latter having a 'Technical School' specialisation) joined the existing Glen Waverley Secondary College and amalgamated school, sharing students, staff, and resources. This came at a time when the Government was pursuing a policy of creating 'super' schools, rationalising small schools with dwindling enrolments out of existence. The belief was that larger schools would have a greater ability to offer a broad curriculum. The buildings on the sites of these former schools were demolished, and the land was used for housing developments.
.
, nuclear energy advocate and then CEO of the Telstra
Corporation, visited the College as part of the "Principal for a Day" programme. The programme was intended to give business leaders insights into the work being done in shaping the citizens of tomorrow. Due to his high profile, this visit was featured on current affairs programmes on commercial networks.
over the issue of government funding. The aim of the campaign was to highlight the disparity in funding between rich private schools and modest state schools. According to nation-wide newspaper 'The Australian', Scotch College Melbourne
responded legally in which an undisclosed remedy was awarded against the political party who made the advertisement.
, a score achieved by the top 0.05% of the state, a high result for a non-private school
and non-selective school
. The fact that all four students were from migrant backgrounds was also of interest to the media.
concepts. Students are grouped into teams of three to five students, and select a research question to answer in depth. They communicate between themselves, other groups and teachers through their own group blog
, and can publish resources they find useful to a central wiki
. The program involves an excursion to CERES
and an optional tree-planting trip.
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
located in Glen Waverley, Victoria
Glen Waverley, Victoria
Glen Waverley is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Monash...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is one of the four largest secondary schools in Victoria.
History
The current College is composed of three separate secondary schools which were amalgamated in the early 1990s. Syndal High SchoolSyndal High School
Syndal High School was a public secondary school located in Glen Waverley, Victoria, Australia.- History :...
and Lawrence Secondary College (the latter having a 'Technical School' specialisation) joined the existing Glen Waverley Secondary College and amalgamated school, sharing students, staff, and resources. This came at a time when the Government was pursuing a policy of creating 'super' schools, rationalising small schools with dwindling enrolments out of existence. The belief was that larger schools would have a greater ability to offer a broad curriculum. The buildings on the sites of these former schools were demolished, and the land was used for housing developments.
Cultural Diversity website
The official website for the state government's 'Celebrate Our Cultural Diversity Week' was developed by students from GWSC. At the launch of the website, the students were photographed by the media with various ministers and the Premier, Steve BracksSteve Bracks
Stephen Philip Bracks AC is a former Australian politician and the 44th Premier of Victoria. He first won the electoral district of Williamstown in 1994 for the Australian Labor Party, and was party leader and Premier from 1999 to 2007....
.
Principal for a Day
On the morning of Monday, October 27, 2003, Dr Ziggy SwitkowskiZiggy Switkowski
Dr Zygmunt "Ziggy" Edward Switkowski is a Polish Australian businessman and nuclear physicist.He is most known as the former Chief Executive Officer of Australia's largest telecommunications company Telstra, and for overseeing major aspects of the implementation and planning of its full...
, nuclear energy advocate and then CEO of the Telstra
Telstra
Telstra Corporation Limited is an Australian telecommunications and media company, building and operating telecommunications networks and marketing voice, mobile, internet access and pay television products and services....
Corporation, visited the College as part of the "Principal for a Day" programme. The programme was intended to give business leaders insights into the work being done in shaping the citizens of tomorrow. Due to his high profile, this visit was featured on current affairs programmes on commercial networks.
School Funding Ad Campaign
In late 2004, Glen Waverley Secondary College was involved in a political advertising campaign in which it was compared to Scotch College MelbourneScotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
over the issue of government funding. The aim of the campaign was to highlight the disparity in funding between rich private schools and modest state schools. According to nation-wide newspaper 'The Australian', Scotch College Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne
Scotch College, Melbourne is an independent, Presbyterian, day and boarding school for boys, located in Hawthorn, an inner-eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia....
responded legally in which an undisclosed remedy was awarded against the political party who made the advertisement.
Student VCE Results
In December 2006, four students from the College achieved the maximum possible score of 99.95 on the Victorian Certificate of EducationVictorian Certificate of Education
The Victorian Certificate of Education or VCE is the credential awarded to secondary school students who successfully complete high school level studies in the state of Victoria, Australia. Study for the VCE is usually completed over two years, but it can be spread over a longer period in some cases...
, a score achieved by the top 0.05% of the state, a high result for a non-private school
Private school
Private schools, also known as independent schools or nonstate schools, are not administered by local, state or national governments; thus, they retain the right to select their students and are funded in whole or in part by charging their students' tuition, rather than relying on mandatory...
and non-selective school
Selective school
A selective school is a school that admits students on the basis of some sort of selection criteria, usually academic. The term may have different connotations in different systems....
. The fact that all four students were from migrant backgrounds was also of interest to the media.
2020 Program
The "2020 Program" is a Year 9 learning enquiry, run for the first time in 2008. The focus is "learning for a sustainable future". The program runs over a three-week period, and replaces core-subject class time. The four houses take turns to complete the program. There is heavy emphasis on the use of ICT, and some use of Web 2.0Web 2.0
The term Web 2.0 is associated with web applications that facilitate participatory information sharing, interoperability, user-centered design, and collaboration on the World Wide Web...
concepts. Students are grouped into teams of three to five students, and select a research question to answer in depth. They communicate between themselves, other groups and teachers through their own group blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, and can publish resources they find useful to a central wiki
Wiki
A wiki is a website that allows the creation and editing of any number of interlinked web pages via a web browser using a simplified markup language or a WYSIWYG text editor. Wikis are typically powered by wiki software and are often used collaboratively by multiple users. Examples include...
. The program involves an excursion to CERES
CERES Community Environment Park
The CERES Community Environment Park, or Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies, is an award-winning urban environmental centre located in urban Brunswick East, Victoria, Australia...
and an optional tree-planting trip.