Welcome back to all students and families and a very warm welcome to all new students. The year has started very well and has also been very busy with Year 7 trials, CAS basketball blitz, Cricket as well as the first rounds of water polo.
We had many staff and boys complete a lot of training over the extended break and I want to make special mention of the following:
I also want to highlight the great work by our new Commanding officer of the Waverley College Cadet Unit, Ms Julie-Ann de Kantzow who was ably supported by Mr Tony Evans and Mr Garth Aird for the training in the holidays. This was especially around up-skilling the St Catherine’s students joining the unit at the start of this year. This is certainly an exciting time and I also wish the WCCU the very best for the year and the Reveille Dinner this Friday. Special mention also to Mr Lachlan Youll and Mr Andrew Yanitsas from St Catherine’s for their great work and leadership in instigating this positive change.
We have a large number of boys travelling up the coast over the next couple of weeks for State Oz-Tag and Touch Football and I wish them much success and safe travels.
I want to congratulate Ricardo Zanapalis for competing at the Regionals Athletics Competition at Barden Ridge and coming 3rd in the triple jump (new PB 11:60m) and 1st in the Long jump (new PB 5:82m). Ricardo will go through to the state championships for long jump in early March.
I am sure we will be hearing of many more successes over the next few weeks. Thank you to all of those parents that have also followed the correct leave requests procedures. Any other leave requests need to be in writing before any leave is granted with a maximum of two permitted exemptions per year.
The Term 1 Summer season is now underway with all training and a full round of fixtures this weekend. With some poor weather forecast it is a good opportunity to remind the Waverley community of notification procedures:
Wet Weather number (after 7am on Saturdays) – Tel: 02 8250 3780
SkoolBag – Push notifications
Team App – Waverley College
Any early changes will also be changed on the fixtures which can be located on the College website.
We also have some key dates this term for co-curricular events:
Just a reminder that the training schedules and fixtures will be available on the College website as they become available.
Best wishes for the start of the year!
During the holidays, we held a Junior Leaders Promotions Course at St Catherine’s School for the senior St Catherine’s cadets joining the Waverley College Cadet Unit. This course was designed to bring their skills and knowledge to a Corporal level, enabling the girls to lead the sections of St Catherine’s recruits when they join the Unit this term. It was an intensive three days, but they rose to the challenge and performed admirably. On Day 2, we were fortunate to have the Commander NSW 2nd AAC Brigade, COL Tara Bucknall, visit the course. It was exciting for our candidates to meet a full Colonel at the beginning of their Cadet journey.
Some of our senior cadets gave so generously of their holiday time to assist in many aspects of the course, and I would like to thank Chris Salem, Sam Tsaousis, Aidan Korpar, Ben Elder, Luca Paolella, Brock Preston, Heath Jackson and Emile Stephenson for the exemplary way they conducted themselves over the three days.
Dear Parents and Carers,
This month there will be a February Five Dollar Sale on clothing pool items.
All pool items will be $5 each for this month only.
For more information please view the flyer here.
Click here for the latest careers update.
Plumbing apprenticeship opportunity is currently available in the Eastern Suburbs. A drivers licence is not essential. If you are interested and would like more information please contact Ms Knowles on 02 9369 0651.
Dear Parents,
We are in urgent need of volunteer workers at the canteen, volunteers are essential to us and they help keep prices down & operate the canteen in an efficient way. Your help and support is greatly appreciated, whether it’s once a week, month or even once a term. We welcome all members of the Waverley College community – mums, dads, grandparents, aunts and uncles to join our team of volunteers.
Volunteers arrive at 9.30am and finish at 1.45pm, they help prepare fresh food on a daily basis, serve the boys during recess and lunch break and then assist with re-stocking of shelves. The canteen is a cheerful and friendly place to work where you meet other parents and have the opportunity to see your sons in his school environment.
Waverley College is now doing all volunteer roster’s on line. Below you will find our Senior Canteen link for Term 1 of 2020.
Thank you for all support and look forward to seeing our old faces and meeting some more wonderful parents and/or guardians.
The start of the year has been a truly positive one amongst staff and students. It was great to welcome our new Year 5 and 7 students on Wednesday and celebrate the return of the entire student body on Thursday with a wonderful College assembly.
In the January heat it was great to see so many boys wearing the new uniform with pride and opting to wear shorts. Over 450 students who were not required to wear the new uniform have moved across early which is a great sign of the popularity of the change among our students.
Week two has begun with great enthusiasm and activity. It has been great to interact with students across the Junior School and the Senior Schools over the last few days.
At Thursday’s College assembly, I spoke about the ongoing care we will provide our students following the passing of Year 8 student Archie Perkin over the break. A group session was held with our psychologists last week as well as a memorial service this week. In addition to planting a tree this week in memory of Archie, a plaque will be hung in the Chapel later this year. Archie’s memory will live on and he will be acknowledged at the major milestones of the current Year 8 as they move through to their graduation in 2024.
I would like to invite all parents to our Commencement Mass on Friday 7 February to be held in the Gymnasium at noon.
A less formal event coming up is the Parents’ Association Welcome Cocktail Party on 20 March. Last year over 800 parents got together to renew old acquaintances, welcome new parents and celebrate the start of another College year.
I would like to thank parents for the way their sons attended school this week, the uniform standard was excellent and so too was their behaviour and grooming. The way we present ourselves in public says a lot about what we are about as a College. Any boy not in correct uniform or wearing a hairstyle outside of College policy will be asked to rectify the problem before returning to class. Full details are available in the A-Z section of the College Diary.
Parents are requested to always keep their contact details up to date by informing Suzi Sucur in the Wellbeing Centre whenever there is a change. An opportunity for this will be the Mentor Meetings on Tuesday 11 February between 1:30 and 4:00pm. A separate email has been sent out about this.
I would like to thank Mr Simon Potter and his team for deploying over 350 laptops over the past few months. There are a number of simple, common-sense policies when it comes to safe and effective laptop use at Waverley College.
Backup – Boys should ensure they store their important files in Google Drive. Losing files off the computer is no excuse when an assessment is due.
Battery Charging – There is no charging of laptops in School. Boys should come to school with their laptop fully charged and then manage the battery through the day. Charging cords are a trip hazard and the laptops were chosen because of their battery life.
School Use – The College laptop is for educational use only, it is not a game machine or a device to watch sports highlights or videos.
Stickers – No stickers are to be put on the laptop. Boys can customise their laptop by putting stickers on the cover, but not directly onto the laptop.
Social Media – Students should be wary and use social media responsibly. They should not attempt to communicate with staff via social media. Any incidents of online bullying should be dealt with by taking a screenshot, blocking the sender and sending the screenshot to their Head of House.
Travel – The device is covered by a global warranty and can be taken abroad. Curfew times will adjust to the country you are in by default. Travelling overseas is not a reason to have the curfews removed.
Email Etiquette – Students should be respectful in their email correspondence with others. The College Diary has a good section on appropriate email construction.
LED Screen – The laptops are extremely robust, however, the LED screen is its weakest point. Protect it, keep objects off your keyboard so you do not trap them and damage the screen.
Transport Security – Keep your laptop in your school bag when travelling to school. It’s advisable not use it on the bus or train.
Maintenance – Make sure if you get any problems or issues that you report these to iAssist as soon as possible. The sooner they are reported and resolved, the sooner you can be back up and running.
Software – You are not to attempt to remove any of the school-issued software without the permission of iAssist. You are not to install any other applications without their permission, you must have the appropriate licences.
EREA Student Leadership Conference Our College Captain, Ben Elder (front row, white shirt)
Over 50 Young Leaders from across Catholic Schools in the Edmund Rice Tradition gathered in Adelaide last week for the annual EREA Student Leaders Conference. This gathering provided an opportunity for them to connect from across the country‚ to share their stories of leadership, to participate in decision making, to provide their views on important issues facing young people and to build a national and international community. The focus for this year’s gathering was Reconciliation with Australia’s First Nation Peoples, and Ecology, based on Pope Francis’ call to care for our common home.
Our College Captain, Ben Elder (front row, white shirt) enjoyed the highlights that included:
At the same time, the remaining Vice Captains and Prefects undertook a leadership formation day with Performance Edge Director and consultant, Bob Carbines.
In 2019, Waverley placed two teams in the annual Tournament of Minds Competition, an event designed to challenge and enrich students across a range of disciplines. Each team member dedicated their spare time and effort in between other commitments to preparing and presenting a challenge focused on solving and portraying a current world issue or problem-related to one discipline -The Arts, Language Literature, Social Sciences or STEM.
“Tournament of Minds offers teams of students the opportunity to solve authentic, open-ended challenges that foster creative, divergent thinking whilst developing collaborative enterprise, excellence and teamwork.”
In 2020, Waverley is offering students the chance to participate in Tournament of Minds for their Winter Co-Curricular as part of the College’s dedication to providing a range of both academic and sport-related opportunities to represent the school.
We are seeking expressions of interest for students from 7 to 10 who may be interested in participating in the 2020 team. Numbers are strictly limited to each year group due to the requirements of the competition. Further to this event, consideration will also be given to participation in other academic enrichment events such as the Term 2 Da Vinci Decathlon and Cluster Days.
For more information please speak with the Tournament of Minds Convenor Shannon Kelly sbronkhorst@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The beginning of the school year can mean new teachers, new classes and new friends. But for some, it will be the start of a new school.
Your son is going to meet lots of new people and be thrown into new situations. That’s bound to make them feel a lot of different emotions. They may feel worried and anxious, but also excited and happy‚ all at the same time!
It is considered to be one of the most important transition periods of a student’s life and can present some significant psychological challenges for both students and parents.
Making new friends, learning new routines, discovering new environments, accepting new cultures and adjusting to new learning practices is all part of the process. Some boys will sail through this period of change, whilst others may need a bit more guidance. It is important to give your son the chance to feel comfortable in his new space. This may take a few months, but ensure you keep the lines of communication open and check in regularly with your son to see how he is settling in.
Waverley College has a resource called School TV, which provides parents and carers with a number of strategies that can be deployed to help ensure a smooth transition. Please click on the following link to access this:
https://waverley.nsw.schooltv.me/wellbeing_news/moving-new-school
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your son, please contact the Head of House or College Psychologist for further information.
Waverley College’s Academic Enrichment Program supports and extends students who are academically gifted. It plays a key role in building a strong group identity in which students are supported by capable and hard-working peers who share their aspirations. Inter-school, National academic and thinking competitions are offered throughout the year, such as the da Vinci Decathlon, Tournament of the Minds and University competitions. Some competitions are available soon and are listed below. If your son would like to be involved this year, please contact Belinda Buchan bbuchan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
“The Australian Brain Bee Challenge (ABBC) is a competition for high school students in Year 10 to learn about the brain and its functions, learn about neuroscience research, find out about careers in neuroscience and to dispel misconceptions about neurological and mental illnesses.” Round 1 is conducted as an online quiz on Education Perfect – students can then progress through to Round 2 and Round 3 to compete against regional and national students.
Registrations open in March, for more information go to https://www.ans.org.au/meetings-events/australian-brain-bee-challenge
Inspired by Gough Whitlam’s commitment to involving young people in the shaping of Australia’s future, the competition is currently open to school students in years 5 to 12 from NSW, VIC, WA, the ACT and Tasmania. Responding to the simple question ‘what matters?’, entrants are free to express their views on any matter they care about. Prizes are awarded in four different age categories.
Entries are open now and can be submitted until May 10 2019. For more information go to https://www.whitlam.org/what-matters
During the summer break, I had the privilege of being part of an educator’s tour to Israel where I further developed my knowledge and experience of Christianity, Judaism and Islam. All participants planted a tree to represent their school and the hope of new life and the symbolic connection to the Holy Land.
It was an incredible journey; Christian highlights included walking the Stations of the Cross to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, the site of Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection and celebrating Christmas Midnight Mass in the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. From a Jewish perspective, the act of prayer and petition at the Western Wall was truly memorable.
I also developed a better understanding of the difficult pathway to peace in the Middle East and engaged with schools and communities next to the Gaza Strip. I hope that our Waverley College tree flourishes and is a hopeful sign of eventual peace in this most sacred land.
Waverley College, along with all Australian schools, will be submitting information to Catholic Schools NSW for the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Student with Disabilities: A count of the number of students with disabilities who are supported under the school’s obligations to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992, Disability Standards for Education 2005 and The Australian Education Act 2013.
The count is based on the professional judgment of teachers and their knowledge and understandings of students. The process assists the school in identifying and supporting students with disabilities by implementing adjustments to enable them to access and participate in education on the same basis as their peers. The data collected is not identifiable to individual students.
Information collected relates to: the total numbers of students involved; the types of adjustments provided, including curriculum delivery, medical support, health and safety, social skills and communication; the level of adjustment provided and the categories of disabilities. In the first instance, the information is submitted to the Catholic Schools NSW then forwarded, as non-identifiable data, to the Australian Government Education Council (ie student NCCD Website and names will not be captured). The information collected is protected by the privacy act. The information collected may be used for the school’s future funding and policy requirements.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any queries in relation to this process.
Welcome to the new school year at the Junior School, it is hard to believe we are already coming to the end of Week 2. I have enjoyed being able to visit classrooms over the past week to see the boys settling into new environments and routines.
Thank you to all the parents who offered to volunteer in our canteen for Term 1. It is very much appreciated as we rely so heavily on our families to continue this service. If you haven’t signed up and would like to volunteer please follow this link: https://signup.com/go/jxSZAXz
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 1 events please refer to the College Calendar
All communication regarding news, updates, events and social information will be delivered through the fortnightly newsletter Nurrunga under and SkoolBag app.
Nurrunga is the fortnightly College newsletter. It provides information and dates for important events around the school, a weekly update from the Principal and College Leadership Team, including myself. Parents are recommended to check Nurrunga when the link is emailed to them on Thursdays, fortnightly, during term time. The link will also be shared via the Skoolbag app.
SkoolBag is a school mobile app that communicates directly with iPhone and Android devices. It provides all school users with instant “push” notifications and alerts to their mobile devices. The SkoolBag app is free to download and can easily be installed from the Apple Apps store or Google Play by searching for ‘Waverley College’ and installing. For information about SkoolBag and how to download the app visit: moqproducts.com.au/skoolbag/installation-instructions/. We use SkoolBag app in the Junior School on a regular basis to inform you of:
Parents are requested to provide an email address upon enrolment and to always keep this up to date by informing the Junior School Reception whenever there is a change. Email is an important means of communicating with teachers and administration. Most email addresses you will need can be found on the College website on the tab ‘Contact Us’. Class teachers will use email regularly to contact you and it is also used for the College newsletter and for alerts and notices.
The College website provides a great deal of information about the school such as news, events, contacts, subject information, policy documents, cyber safety, sports fixtures and the college calendar. Please visit: waverley.nsw.edu.au
Formal Parent/Teacher interviews will be held on Monday 27th July after you have received your son’s Semester One school report. Next week, you will receive a parent questionnaire via email. Please fill this out in order to inform the classroom teacher on how to best support your son this year. If you have information you feel would be beneficial to discuss with your teacher in person please do not hesitate to contact them to arrange a meeting. You will find all Junior school contacts in the link below:
Please follow this link to see Junior School Staff.
Learning spaces should spark imaginations; nurture and develop creativity; support a diverse range of learning activities; and above all, support a diverse range of learners.
The NEW learning hub aims to guide the boys with lifelong transversal skills – critical thinkers, collaborators, innovators, and problem solvers. This will be achieved through a myriad of activities, including the maker space, mentors, guest speakers, competitions, inquiry-based learning, and debating.
Each class receives two lessons per cycle in the Learning Hub. The Learning Hub is open to the boys every morning from 8:15, as well as every lunchtime. Homework Club also operates out of this space.
Throughout the year there are a number of events students can be involved with through the Learning Hub:
The purpose of this two-period course is to teach students literature and innovation skills, a love of reading as well as teaching students how to locate and analyse resources in a safe and concise manner.
Throughout the year the boys will learn how to:
I encourage the boys to become familiar with this wonderful space.
Homework Club will begin in Week 3 and runs Monday – Thursday afternoons from 3:00pm – 4:00pm. You will receive a SkoolBag notification allowing you to sign up. Please note, you are only able to sign up 2 weeks in advance.
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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