Please be advised that, due to COVID-19, Waverley College has decided that both the Senior and Junior School canteens will be running a cashless system from Monday, 11th May.
The Junior School will be on Flexischool online orders only for recess and lunch, with no counter service available until further notice. We have also reduced the menu for the next few weeks. This can be viewed on Flexischool when you log in.
Until co-curricular is officially back on, the Junior School canteen will not be open for breakfast.
Dear Parents & Carers,
I hope this newsletter finds you and your family well.
The College has followed the Government and health departments’ directives of having all staff work from home wherever possible. Some jobs, however, owing to their nature can not be completed at home, such as staff involved in looking after the campus, tuckshop, preschool, library, iAssist, and the health centre. We also have teachers rostered on to supervise a small number of students whose parents work in emergency services or who can not find alternatives.
Our teachers have been busy working hard in the new environment of online learning and making adjustments to the feedback we are receiving from students, parents, staff and other schools. I have weekly contact with over fifty independent and catholic schools in Sydney, and I am hearing about similar successes and challenges. Our Heads of Department and Heads of House continue to meet weekly with respective College Leadership Team members to fine-tune our practices.
Teachers across the nation are grappling with this new environment. Virtual learning is quite exciting from one perspective, as the forced change in the delivery of teaching and learning will account for the largest change in education for quite some time. I am sure there will be innovative practices and learnings that will be embedded into our existing practice when we return to on-campus learning. Good pedagogical practice, whether online or face-to-face should be varied and creative to cater to individual needs.
The calendar already has Monday 27 April earmarked as a staff professional development day. The College is also going to utilise Tuesday 28 April as a professional development day for our teaching staff to work on program development and faculty meeting time. As I said earlier, I am monitoring what is happening at other schools. Some are finishing Term 1 from this Friday, while others are taking some time next week to provide teachers with valuable collaboration time. For our context, I believe one extra day at the start of Term 2 will better serve our teachers and ultimately our students. This will mean that both the 27 and 28 April will be off-campus, student free days at the College.
I would like to thank and acknowledge all of the staff for their tremendous efforts and dedication in these changing and challenging times. Forty-five of our staff have dependent children at home to also manage while fulfilling their work commitments. I commend all our staff on their commitment to the College and your son’s education journey. Please communicate through the appropriate channels if you have any concerns or questions regarding your son’s learning or wellbeing.
The usual energy and clamour of inspired young minds at work, which usually fill our corridors and quadrangle is eerily absent at Waverley. And, when I walked the campus grounds in this last week, I felt a tremendous feeling of quiet and absence that we associate with loss and grief. It is our community, being together that gives our school life. This loss and a disconnection from the routines, busy life and people coupled with feelings of fear for the elderly, for people’s economic loss and for countries where their health systems are not at the same level of ours have become the loud noises we hear.
David Kessler, author of Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief, would describe the discomfort I, and many of us, are feeling at the moment as the feeling of grief. In fact, it is ‘collective grief’, because it is having such a widespread impact across our community.
We are also feeling what Kessler describes as ‘anticipatory grief’ which is the feeling one gets when what the future holds is uncertain. It is the same feeling you have when someone you know receives a dire medical diagnosis. We know we are in the midst of a worldwide diagnosis, but we are not sure what it will bring. Our instinctive mind knows something bad is happening, but with a virus we can not see it and this can bring with it feelings of insecurity.
To create security, Kessler suggests that we can seek to find balance in the things we are thinking about. For example, if your son sees the worst image taking shape, ask him to balance it by thinking of the best image. Neither image should be ignored but neither should dominate either. Balance is not always easily attained and when we support those around us we do so with patience and compassion.
How can we manage these complex feelings?
Kessler encourages us to name the feeling of grief and feel it and let it move through you. Emotions need motion and by acknowledging where you are at, you have already taken a step in the right direction. Secondly, by understanding the stages of grief, we can help our mind to scaffold this unknown world.
The stages:
1) DENIAL – the virus won’t affect us
2) ANGER – you are making me stay at home and taking my activities away from me
3) BARGAINING – if I social distance for two weeks everything will be all okay
4) SADNESS – I don’t know when this will end
5) ACCEPTANCE – this is happening and I need to figure out how to proceed
6) MEANING – we seek the meaning of the darkness, through gratitude and changing our mindset, we can find the light.
(Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler’s six stages of grief)
Acceptance is where the power lies. We can find some more control of this situation through acceptance. I can wash my hands, I can keep a safe distance from people and I can learn how to work virtually. Positive steps, moving forward and working towards gratitude can help us to quiet the loud noises of what we are hearing of suffering and the impact of the virus and allow the positive noises of our community (in some cases over the phone and in our online learning community) to fill our minds.
In seeking ‘meaning’, I can be grateful that we can still connect through the technology we have which brings us back together to a Waverley that can adapt, respond and remain united.
Yesterday, the NESA COVID-19 Response Committee met to consider a number of key issues about the 2020 HSC. First and foremost and as confirmed last week, students will have the opportunity to receive their HSC credential this year. Students will be able to continue with the next chapter of their lives, whether that’s university, an apprenticeship or TAFE in 2021.
Effective immediately the Committee agreed to:
Detailed advice about today’s decisions will be available on the NESA website early next week.
The College is currently working closely with tour operators and travel insurance companies in regards to the postponement or cancellations of overseas tours. There are a large number of schools and groups who are currently in the same position and we appreciate your patience around this. We will continue to update the College’s position on these tours as we receive further information.
After 26 years of distinguished service, Mr Anthony Evans is finishing up at the College at the end of this Term.
Anthony began his time at Waverley College as a Year 5 student in 1973 and graduated with the Year 12 Class of 1980. He was the Cadet Unit’s Head of Medics from 1978-80, a College Prefect during his final year, and received the CUO Officer’s Staff award. Throughout Anthony’s time at the College, he has held the position of Chaplain for the Sodality of Our Lady. He has passionately shared his faith and value system across his pursuits at the College with both students, parents and staff.
Anthony became a member of the St. John Ambulance Brigade from 1985, attending College and CAS games as an ambulance officer. Following graduation, he worked at St Vincent’s Hospital (1981-83) and joined the NSW Ambulance Service. From 1983-93 he served in the Ambulance Coordination Centre (HQ).
After serving the community in the Ambulance Brigade, Anthony commenced employment at Waverley College in 1994 as the Student Administration Officer and Cadet Unit Adjutant and 2IC with the rank of Major (AAC). He has contributed significantly to the Cadet Program and the overall leadership and development of young men at the College. Anthony’s medical skills and care also ensured boys were treated professionally when they had accidents or illnesses at school and there are several examples where his quick actions saved the boy’s lives.
Anthony has been willing to share his personal story of his Aboriginal heritage and support boys in their cultural and spiritual development. Anthony is planning on moving closer to family in Newcastle and to pursue some other work interests. We can not farewell Anthony appropriately at this time of restricted gatherings, but he is keen to return to the College at a later date. On behalf of the College community, I would like to wish Anthony all the best with his future endeavours.
Photos by:
www.facebook.com/jeremybowringphotography
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your support of the staff during this time. I am extremely grateful for the work our teachers have put in to ensure the boys are receiving the best possible educational outcomes while they work online. They have also been instrumental in bringing a sense of normality to the boys in recent weeks.
I understand that there will be many questions going forward and I appreciate your patience as the staff and I seek to provide you with the best responses that we can. Please know that we will continue to deliver quality teaching and learning via our remote learning platforms. Our Hangout Meet sessions began on Wednesday, which the staff and students enjoyed. Please ensure your son logs on at 8:45am to receive an outline of the day from his teacher.
The next few months will no doubt hold some experiences that we were not planning for at the start of 2020. One of our great strengths has always been our ability to respond and adapt to whatever situation lies ahead. I look forward to working with you in partnership on this journey and ask that you reach out if we can offer any extra support.
Now the boys are working so heavily online, it is important to continually remind them of what they need to be doing to stay safe. Please go through the tips below with your son.
During this uncertain and challenging time, educators, parents and students are currently transitioning to a learning from home platform. This involves substantial adjustments to teaching and learning. During this time, reading must continue. Reading should never be undervalued.
This is a perfect time to encourage your son to spend more time reading. To assist you, I have attached ‘A Quick Guide for Parents’. Strategy 3: Read Together and Strategy 5: Read Aloud are highly recommended.
Boys are very curious at this point in time about the coronavirus and other current issues. I encourage you to allow your sons to access accurate reading material. Kids News is a ready-to-go literacy resource using current daily news stories for students and suitable for children from Years 4 to 8. It is a wonderful free online resource.
There is a traffic light system to help direct children to appropriate content depending on their comprehension levels:
Green – Simple to medium vocabulary. Story content easily understood, accessible to all readers (especially with audio option).
Orange – Medium level of vocabulary. Story content a little more complex but still able to be read and understood at the middle to senior primary level (audio option and glossary to assist).
Red – Contains complex vocabulary and content that is of a higher level, suited to more able readers
This is where you can discover some of the coolest facts for kids from around our planet. From animals and geography to science, nature and history, there are so many amazing facts for kids just waiting to be discovered by young explorers.
https://www.natgeokids.com/au/
Our challenge in Maths on Thursday was to create a clock made from everyday household items. I decided to use the cutlery to make my clock as I was in the kitchen making a sandwich and I opened the cutlery drawer and the idea just came to me. At home, we have a giant clock in our kitchen, which I copied to space the numbers evenly. The hardest part was getting the circle shape correct so it looks like a clock. I had lots of fun making the clock!
Students that have taken part in lunch and after-school art accomplishment programs this term have been working very hard to create colourful and dynamic planet solar systems. They used analogous oil pastel colours to create their planets. They learnt about positive and negative templates, how to use these in their work and how to blend pastels. They did a great job!
With everything that is happening in our world at the moment, it is quite easy to forget that we are coming up to the most important season in the Church calendar, the Season of Easter. Today’s challenges are making it difficult to come together this year to honour Jesus’ sacrifices and then His resurrection.
On Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Last Supper, the last meal Jesus shared with his disciples and the night he was betrayed by Judas and arrested. During this meal, Jesus asked of his disciples, “Do this in memory of me.” This message is twofold: to go and share meals with one another and to live your lives according to the way Jesus lived his life – and to be good to one another, respect each other and help those in need.
On Good Friday, we commemorate Jesus’s crucifixion and subsequent death on the cross. Jesus died to bring forgiveness and salvation to those in our world. This is a reminder to us all that even though we are sometimes hurt by others, offering our forgiveness is the first step in their redemption.
On Easter Sunday, we celebrate Jesus’s resurrection. Jesus rose from the tomb and walked among us once again. This is a reminder that Easter brings about new life and with new life comes new hope. This is a reminder to us that even though we are not always perfect, we are always given the opportunity to start afresh.
I encourage you this Easter period to find a time to reflect as a family – on the time you have spent with each other over the past few weeks. How have you treated one another? Do you need to offer forgiveness? Are you able to take a fresh start to new activities and relationships?
I wish you all a joyful Easter and look forward to seeing you upon our eventual return back to school.
Waverley College subscribes to the Study Skills Handbook by Dr Prue Salter to support students across all year groups with their off-campus learning and independent study.
This is a reminder that all students and parents can access this comprehensive resource using the following login details:
Username: forwaverleycollegeonly
Password: 94 results
There is a new section available called Tips for Remote Learning, which provides useful ideas for working through how to manage this unprecedented situation. This might be just the thing if you are finding that students are working through set work very quickly.
The tips will certainly complement the sessions we have already delivered to students about independent learning and motivation, including the Year 7 Study Skills Evening in week 6 with Dr Prue Salter and the Year 11 Elevate session in week 7, Ace Your Exams.
Finally, as you know, we are ensuring we do everything we can to support our Year 12 students this year. To that end, we have engaged Dr Prue Salter to provide a series of targeted video study skills lessons over the next four months:
Each video will be around 15 minutes long and students will be emailed a link each time.
Students are encouraged to email Dr Salter (info@enhanced-learning.net) at any time if they have questions about their approach to their studies this year. Questions will either be addressed in the videos or answered personally.
A reminder to parents that we have a great range of online resources that can be used while the boys are off campus and learning from home.
We have audiobooks, e-books, online magazines, Skwirk, an online textbook for Years 5 to 10, and educational videos from Clickview.
In addition, e-books, audio books and Clickview video access all come with helpful apps.
To access these great online resources, please click the following link to the Library Community Powerschool page.
For any help please contact:
librarystaff@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Happy reading and listening!
The library team
As we all move to the online learning platform, I would like to encourage our cadets to stay connected and keep checking into their Cadets Google classroom every Friday afternoon. I have set up classrooms for recruits and rank, and will be posting videos each week for inspiration, for support and for training. Parents are most welcome to view the content with their sons, particularly the post for Friday, 3 April.
The Waverley College Cadet Unit asks all cadets to abide by a code of conduct. The Code of Conduct addresses the following parameters and is something to keep in mind in the current climate:
Online learning requires a new level of trust and maturity. Be honest with yourselves and your teachers.
Following on from the above, be true to yourselves, upholding strong moral principles. Take responsibility for your learning. Keep in mind the integrity of our Unit. Let’s keep unified, let’s keep connected.
The current climate will really test this parameter. Persistent work and effort will keep you on top of things, giving you a sense of control.
Take care of yourselves, take care of your families and take care of your community. Pay attention to the current requirements for isolation.
For yourselves, for your family, for your teachers, for your school and for the community. Treat others as you would want to be treated, especially in these difficult times.
Everyone is finding this difficult in different ways. Be kind to one another.
As a youth development organisation, Cadets is teaching our young people tenacity, fortitude, strength of character, confidence and service. Now, more than ever, we need to harness these skills. Now, more than ever, we need to uphold the values of Cadets:
Despite the Government postponing the event, Waverley College still went ahead with the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence (NDA) on Friday, 20 March, which marked the 10 year anniversary of Australia’s key anti-bullying event for schools.
The NDA is a positive day of action to empower students and unite our school community in finding workable solutions to address bullying and violence. This year, each of our 1480 students wrote their anti-bullying messages on bunting in their wellbeing groups. The bunting was displayed in both the junior and senior campuses. Current research indicates that bullying is less likely to occur in a caring, respectful and supportive teaching and learning community.
The following five evidence-based elements, centred on the Australian Student Wellbeing Framework, have guided Waverley College to a planned whole school approach to promote student safety and wellbeing, and address bullying behaviour effectively.
Leadership
Bullying is less likely to occur in a positive environment. As school leaders, we play an active role in building a positive learning environment where the whole school community feels included, connected, safe and respected.
Inclusion
Bullying is less likely to occur in a culture that promotes inclusion. All members of our school community are active participants in building a welcoming school culture that values diversity and fosters positive, respectful relationships.
Student voice
We have incorporated student voice into our decision-making process. Our students are less likely to engage in bullying behaviour when they feel valued. Students are active participants in their own learning and wellbeing, feel connected and use their social and emotional skills to be respectful, resilient and safe.
Partnerships
Bullying is a whole community issue that requires a whole community response. Effective schools such as ours have high levels of parental and community involvement, which is strongly related to positive student behaviour. Families and communities collaborate as partners with the College to support student learning, safety and wellbeing.
Support
The College actively involves staff, students and families in promoting positive behaviour. Our staff, students and families share and cultivate an understanding of wellbeing and support for positive behaviour, and how this reinforces effective teaching and learning.
During March, all students (Years 5-12) completed the 2020 Wellbeing Survey. Some of the key results to come from this include:
The survey also identified the many upstanders we have at the College. This large group of boys will be celebrated publicly in the future. The small number of students that were identified as displaying bullying behaviour will be counselled and their parents notified over the coming weeks.
Please click here for this issue’s Careers Update.
Please find below a link to the 2020 “Applying for Uni as a Year 12 Student with UAC” video on YouTube.
This will help you navigate and understand the UAC application process.
If you have any questions please email me: kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
You will no doubt recall the Year13 workshop you attended earlier this term.
I am sharing a really exciting opportunity for student in all Years 7 to 12.
Year13, the digital career and life advice platform, have kindly offered all students a free Premium MyYear13 Account at this time, where you can:
If you haven’t already checked it out before, you’ll likely find this site really interesting and helpful – it’s run by young people, for young people – and they have some really great tools and resources to help you as you think about your future beyond high school.
To Get Signed Up:
If you already have a MyYear13 account, please go to your profile, and add this code FHIAZ1WG in ‘link school’.
Between now and the beginning of the Expo on May 18, they will be sharing tools and tips through your new profile so make sure you tune in.
If you have any questions, please reach out to hamish@year13.com.au.
Please take advantage of this access – It’s not usually free and these tools will really support you during this period.
Homeschooling is now a reality for many adult carers as we have acted to implement strategies in the prevention of COVID-19. The daunting task of establishing new routines and schedules, whilst juggling work responsibilities, has proven to be disruptive and challenging for families and schools.
Some young people have transitioned seamlessly, whilst others are struggling. Therefore it is vitally important for parents to be vigilant in looking for signs of anxiety and depression. Parents will need to continue to be reassuring and supportive in this time of uncertainty and acknowledge that this may be a stressful time for students of all ages.
The College is working hard behind the scenes to ensure your son’s academic needs are met, but parents will need to play a key role in providing them with the structure and groundwork for success. Young people will be looking towards their parents to keep things in context and help ease the transition to a different learning environment.
In this special report, parents and carers will be provided with some guidelines on how best to navigate this time of transition with minimal disruption. We hope you take time to reflect on the information offered in this special report.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your son, please contact his Head of House for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Here is the link to your special report https://waverley.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/special-report-preparing-homeschooling
Kind Regards,
Ms Tessa Prior, Mr Greg Cameron and Ms Alex McCredie
College Psychologists
Thursday, 12 March saw the final event in the swimming calendar with the CAS Championships at SOPAC. The swim team have put hours of training in for this one night and they were eager to get into the pool and show the other schools what Waverley had to offer.
This year was different due to the lack of supporters. However, the swimmers grouped together as a strong team and had an outstanding evening. There were a number of memorable performances over the night and all boys showed how hard work and dedication pays off.
We started strong in the freestyle. However, we really started to pick up the pace in the backstroke and butterfly, with the students gaining many of the top three places and memorable performances from Carter Hjorring and Scott Swinburn, who performed incredibly in the backstroke. Also, Liam Davis having to compete in three races within the space of 10 minutes and placing in all three was an incredible achievement!
Throughout the night we had regular points updates and we were extremely close to St Aloysius, switching between 4th and 5th place. So, as is normal for this event, it came down to the relays. Over the season our relays have helped to secure our wins, and once again the boys stepped up to the challenge.
As we waited eagerly for the results to come in, we celebrated every boy who swam over the evening – many for their first time and some for their last. It was great to have our Year 12s represent the school for one last time on such a fantastic evening. As the results came in, we were ecstatic to hear that we had improved by one place from last year, placing 4th overall, just four points ahead of St Aloysius. What an incredible achievement!
I want to say a huge well done to every single boy who was at SOPAC. You all swam incredibly well and your dedication and training over the past season paid off.
Waves to Win!
iAssist Remote support in the event of Online Learning mode
Date: 22nd March 2020
In light of recent government advice, Waverley College is transitioning to online learning. The following processes are in place to support staff so that they can continue to work remotely.
The preferable and most efficient way to get support is to log a ticket via the automated IT helpdesk. To log a ticket simply send a message to helpdesk@waverley.nsw.edu.au from your school email address, this will then notify iAssist support staff and place a job in their work queue.
If you are unable to send from your school account send an email from any other account to iAssist@waverley.nsw.edu.au
When you contact iAssist give them as much detail about the problem along with a contact number that can be used to contact you. It’s important that emails contain as much relevant information regarding the issue as possible.
The iAssist phone number of 02 9369 0784 will be manned during online learning, at busy times you may need to leave a voicemail.
Repairs, both warranty and insurance will continue to be carried out during online learning. In the event of a more strict lockdown these repairs will cease.
Apple Stores worldwide are currently closed until March 28th but I expect that this will be extended should NSW enter a more stringent lockdown state. This means no warranty support is available through Apple Stores.
Staff should take extra care when managing their devices at home and take precautions to make sure that no damage occurs. Simple steps such as not trailing power leads across areas where people are walking or not leaving items on the keyboard and closing the lid causing damage to the screen.
Waverley does have a limited stock of hotswap units which can be issued in the event of a device failure. However the issuing of these devices will be on a first come first served basis and staff should take steps the manage their devices appropriately. In the event of a more strict lockdown these units will not be available.
Hotswap devices will be issued from E15 so staff will need to attend Waverley, this will be by appointment only at an agreed day/time.
Waverley has installed an application on staff devices called TeamViewerQS, should the iAssist Technician need to remote into the device they will send instructions on what needs to be done prior to connecting.
Prior to connecting you MUST restart the laptop before the remote session
Staff have access to the Adobe Creative Suite apps and these can be downloaded to their device directly from Adobe.
Due to the diverse nature of home networks iAssist staff will not be able to provide help with home internet connections. If you are having performance issues accessing content they should use the https://www.speedtest.net/ website to test connectivity and contact their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
iAssist will update users on system availability via school email.
Kind Regards,
Simon Potter
Director of ITC, Campus and Innovation
iAssist support during online learning
Date: 22nd March 2020
In light of recent government advice, the College is transitioning to online learning. The following processes are in place to support students so that they can continue their learning.
Support will be available by phone, by remote connections and in person in E15 between 8am-4pm Monday to Friday. If you need to attend in person to E15 you should call ahead to book a time.
The preferable and most efficient way to get support is to log a ticket via the automated IT helpdesk. To log a ticket simply send a message to helpdesk@waverley.nsw.edu.au from the students school email address, this will then notify iAssist support staff and place a job in their work queue.
If you are unable to send from the students account send an email from any other account to iAssist@waverley.nsw.edu.au
When you contact iAssist give them as much detail about the problem along with a contact number that can be used to contact the student/family member. It’s important that emails contain as much relevant information regarding the issue as possible and that iAssist staff are addressed in a courteous way. Remember they are trying to help you.
The iAssist phone number of 02 9369 0784 will be manned during off-campus learning, at busy times you may need to leave a voicemail.
Repairs, both warranty and insurance will continue to be carried out during online learning. In the event of a more strict lockdown, these repairs will cease.
Apple Stores worldwide are currently closed until March 28 but we expect that this will be extended should NSW enter a more stringent lockdown state. This means no warranty support is available through Apple Stores.
Students should take extra care when managing their devices at home and take precautions to make sure that no damage occurs. Simple steps such as not trailing power leads across areas where people are walking or not leaving items on the keyboard and closing the lid causing damage to the screen.
Waverley does have a limited stock of hotswap units which can be issued to students in the event of a device failure. However the issuing of these devices will be on a first come first served basis and students should take steps the manage their devices appropriately. In the event of a more strict lockdown these units will not be available.
Hotswap devices will be issued from E15 so parents/students will need to attend Waverley, this will be by appointment only at an agreed day/time. To make an appointment, please log a ticket to helpdesk@waverley.nsw.edu.au.
Waverley has installed an application on student devices called TeamViewerQS, should the iAssist Technician need to remote into the device they will send instructions on what needs to be done prior to connecting.
Prior to connecting the student MUST restart the laptop before the remote session.
Students in Year 7-12 have access to the Adobe Creative Suite apps and these can be downloaded to their device directly from Adobe.
If parents are using FamilyZone and need to adjust settings to allow students to access content from home they should contact FamilyZone for help:
https://www.familyzone.com/anz/families/contact-us
Due to the diverse nature of home networks iAssist staff will not be able to provide help with home internet connections. If a student is having performance issues accessing content they should use the https://www.speedtest.net/ website to test connectivity and contact their Internet Service Provider (ISP).
Kind Regards,
Simon Potter
Director of ITC, Campus and Innovation
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
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