This week I had the pleasure of attending both the Year 12 Music Recital Evening and the Art & Design Exhibition in conjunction with St Clare’s College. At the music evening, I heard along with parents and friends, each Year 12 boy present their HSC piece. A high level of performance skill was clearly evident for all to see and I wish each of them the very best in their upcoming HSC performances. There was also a high level of creativity and innovation on display at the Art & Design Exhibition. I enjoyed viewing how both school’s students interact, collaborate and work with a variety of mediums in the creation of their respective pieces. Recently we have been displaying many of our student’s work prominently throughout the College to encourage and inspire younger students to have confidence in developing their creative skills.
Last weekend saw the end of the season to most of our winter sports and activities. Thank you to all support groups, parents, coaches and Old Boys that assisted in making the respective seasons a success. Co-Curricular is an integral part of the College Wellbeing Program and is designed to encourage regular activity, competition, sportsmanship, team development and the formation of life-long habits of exercise.
It is no coincidence that this week saw some boys struggle to concentrate and perform to their best both inside and outside of the classroom. Some would argue that it is the effects of a windy week and there is some research on the effect of low barometric pressure and how this affects humans to support this belief. However, I believe a lot of it can be attested to their change in routine and sudden reduced exercise program which affects energy levels and mood. Please encourage your son to get involved in the Track & Field season which is a short season between winter and summer co-curricular. Vice Captain of the College and Captain of Track and Field, Tom Jaeger (Year 12) encouraged participation at College assembly today. If your son does not wish to challenge himself with running, sprinting, jumping or throwing, then encourage him to maintain some regular pattern of exercise (jogging, swimming, walking, skipping, cycling, gym etc) as this will assist him not only maintain a healthy body, it will look after his mind as well.
Have you ever wondered what it takes to follow a career in medicine, engineering, scientific research or run a successful online business? Don’t miss this valuable opportunity to find out. Come along to be inspired and make better-informed decisions about the future.
Open to students from all years and their parents/carers, this informative evening will provide real-life insights and advice for those considering their options for tertiary study and career pathways.
Guest speakers for the night;
Fathers, Grandfathers and significant males in the lives of Waverley College students in Years 5 to 12 are invited to accompany their sons to a special Father’s Day Mass at 9am in honour of fathers everywhere. The Mass will be followed by a BBQ for the guests and their sons. Boys will return to class following the BBQ.
All parents are warmly invited to attend Waverley College Parent Association (WCPA) meetings. The Head of College usually attends and presents a report on College activities and developments.
I encourage you to read through the latest information which was distributed at the beginning of the term. It includes all you need to know so far.
On Monday 12th August, seven students in the Waverley College Sustainability group attended a Leadership Expo at Taronga Zoo. The expo allowed students from across NSW to share what projects were running at their schools and provide each other new ideas and initiatives to bring back to their school.
“It was great listening to what other schools were doing to make their school a more sustainable environment for students and teachers. Throughout the day many new initiatives were introduced, some ideas included how to launch Return and Earn at the school and building a native bee farm where we can harvest honey as well as have more pollinated flowers” – Ullhas Dey (11).
As a result of this expo the Sustainability Group will sit down and decide on one idea to teach 100 primary school students, including 10 Waterford students in September at Sydney Observatory Hill.
What an eventful couple of weeks we have had in the Junior School. Our buzz this week has definitely focused around Book Week. On Monday, we held our fabulous Pop-Up Bookshop which proved to be very popular among the boys. We were also lucky enough to have a wonderful presentation from Allison Tait who is the author of the children’s adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles. In this session, Allison shared her experiences of being an author with the boys. On Wednesday, we heard from Dylan Loulli, Heath Jackson, Charlie Silva and Anthony Vigliante (Year 11 Visual Arts students) who presented their illustrating techniques and other forms of artwork with the boys.
I am very excited to finish the Book Week celebrations with our parade tomorrow. A reminder that the theme this year is ‘Reading is my Superpower’. All parents are warmly welcome to attend. The parade will be held on the playground at 1:30pm – 3:00pm.
We also welcomed many new families to the school this week for Year 5 2021 enrolment interviews. It was lovely to meet so many siblings as well as old boys and welcome new families to our Waverley community.
On Tuesday 27th August, the Junior School will be opening our classrooms to showcase what our students have been learning this year.
Year 5 have just finished a wonderful STEM unit called Put a Spark in it! This STEM unit has integrated a wide range of skills from different subject areas to create a 3D Diorama that lights up. This piece is an illustration of a collaborative story that students have written in English. Students have learnt how to code through Scratch and CS First. We have also integrated a piece of music that accompanies their story. This was created with Mrs Rollins in their Music Technology class. Many boys have attached this music to their story on Scratch and incorporated the use of Makey Makey’s.
Year 6 have also just finished a STEM unit called Designing the Future. This unit focused on developing areas around Waverley College Junior School that are in need of refurbishment, unused or poorly maintained. The boys have created dioramas to show the area they wish to develop and investigated concepts of sustainable design, the characteristics of materials, scaled drawings and devised a budget based on their design and materials chosen.
We are excited to open up our Learning Hub that has been newly refurbished to cater for the needs of our 21st century learners. Mrs Rollins will also be showcasing in the Auditorium some of the great work the boys have been involved in this year.
Please come and join us between 1pm – 2pm next Tuesday. We look forward to seeing you and bringing you along on our learning journey this year.
Please note you are welcome to take your sons home after the event concludes at 2pm.
The Junior School Winter season has now concluded and we are moving into our Athletics Season. The squad will compete at four different carnivals throughout the season. Brothers Carnival at SIC Riverview, Newington Invitational, Barker Invitational and the IPSHA Carnival on Monday 26 August. I would like to wish the boys all the very best of luck for a short but tough season.
2019 Athletics Squad:
Julian Minto
Felix Kelly
Charlie Coutts
Bailey Gosbell
Darcy Parkes
Jack Johnson
Liam McMaster
Angus Sundkvist
Sonny Patane
Sam Lennon
Ben Pignaterlli
Ari Wernet
Henry Parkes
Charles Coughlan
Oliver Stynes
Rick Meyrick
Fred Carmody
Luke Newrick
A big congratulations to Sam Frain and Alfie Frain who have both been selected into the NSWCIS Golf team to compete late this term. A fantastic result and we wish you both all the best for the competition.
Another Winter season has concluded with all its joys and sorrows; victories and defeats; teamwork and friendship that a season can muster. Behind all of the joy our boys get from their sporting pursuits during this time is the hard work of the coaches who put their hands up to guide and direct them as they try to get the best from their teams in hoping for special moments and the achievement of team and individual milestones.
Some of our coaches also achieve great things from their season and involvement with the boys. One of our Junior School coaches achieved a special personal milestone herself with the conclusion of the 2019 season. It would have passed quietly and unnoticed but for a quiet conversation on the sidelines of the final round of rugby in a moment of shared personal reflection.
With that said, we would like to acknowledge and congratulate Jenny Hoare on 30 years of uninterrupted coaching of rugby across three different private schools. Jenny is a rare breed of energy and passion as she guides her boys through their rugby season. She has had many successful years in this time with a number of undefeated teams. She always brings a great love and knowledge of the game to her boys. She is much loved and admired by both her boys and parents. She has been an integral part of our Armidale Rugby Tours over the past few years and is always willing to get involved. We appreciate her tireless contribution to the game.
Well done Jenny on this amazing achievement and thank you for your dedication to our boys and the game of rugby.
Round 6 was held on Friday 16 August at SCEGGS. The topic for debate was “Parents should not give pocket money to their children“. Both Waverley teams put forward strong arguments and presented their cases clearly, engaging the audience and firmly rebutting the SCEGGS team’s cases. The boys did themselves and Waverley very proud with one win and one loss.
The Pop-Up Bookshop brought to us by The Children’s Bookshop, Beecroft was a success on Monday morning! Hearing the boys talk about their favourite books and authors, while shopping was a healthy way to start the week. Thank you for supporting such a special initiative. Happy Reading Boys!
Thursday 29th August 2019 – 9am to 11am
Fathers, Grandfathers and significant men are invited to attend a special Mass and BBQ for Father’s Day with their sons and grandsons. Please follow the link on the College website to RSVP.
Fathers, Grandfathers and significant males in the lives of Waverley College students in Years 5 to 12 are invited to accompany their sons to a special Father’s Day Mass at 9am in honour of fathers everywhere. The Mass will be followed by a BBQ for the guests and their sons. Boys will return to class following the BBQ.
A slideshow presentation will be shown during the reflection song, after communion. If you are going to be in attendance at our liturgy and would like a photo (fathers and sons, or grandfather(s) and sons) included in this presentation could you please forward it through to liturgy@waverley.nsw.edu.au (Unfortunately, any photographs that are submitted after the deadline of Tuesday 27th August will not be able to be included in this years’ presentation.)
All Junior School students will be in attendance on the day however, only the Senior School students who have fathers/grandfathers in attendance will be exempt from class.
Thursday 12th September is National R U OK? Day. This is a national day of action dedicated to reminding people to ask family, friends and colleagues the question, “R U OK?”, in a meaningful way, because connecting regularly and meaningfully is one thing everyone can do to make a difference to those who may be at risk.
Waverley College has a very close connection with R U OK? Day and we would like to continue to support and raise awareness for this charity in 2019.
The boys at Waterford will be encouraged to wear mufti clothes (something yellow) on Thursday 12th September (Week 8) for a $5 donation. This will also entitle them to a sausage sandwich and a drink at lunchtime (courtesy of the Old Boys). In addition to this, there will be a cake stall on Wednesday 11th September. Boys from Lacey, O’Connor and Tevlin will be encouraged to bring either a slice, cupcakes, cookies, muffins or bite-size snacks to sell on the day. These can be dropped on to Ms King’s room on the morning of the cake stall.
We truly appreciate all your support.
The students of Waterford have the opportunity to be taught by a number of specialist teachers, these teachers are passionate about their subject areas. None more so than our Creative Arts teacher, Michelle Rollins. Since her first year at the College, Michelle has created and directed 23 entries into the Wakakirri Competition, engaging thousands of our students in a wonderful performance opportunity. Her creativity and ability to come up with fun, interesting, original and thoughtful stories is truly inspiring. On Tuesday 13th August Michelle took almost 100 of our students to NIDA to compete in the 2019 Wakakirri competition. I sat down with Michelle to learn a little more about what goes on behind the scenes to put together a successful entry and gain an insight into the theme of this year’s piece.
Wakakirri is a National Competition where schools are allocated seven minutes to tell a story that has a positive impact on the world without using words. Students are encouraged to use Dance and Drama to convey meaning. In my first year here, 23 years ago, I got Waverley involved in Wakakirri and we have been participating every year ever since. I believe we are still the only all-boys Primary School that competes in this event. It is a competition that is particularly close to my heart as I have never come across an event that has such a positive impact on young performers.
Our theme grew out of a quote I had read, ‘the opposite of a hero is not a villain but a bystander’. In our piece, we explored how even a simple act of kindness can make you a hero in somebody’s eyes. We also highlighted the idea that small acts can grow into much larger things and ultimately have a huge impact. Our title was ‘Bye Bye Bystander’. As part of our wellbeing program here at Waverley, we encourage the boys to act when they see a need, to be an upstander instead of a bystander, the story of our Wakakirri performance reflects this important lesson.
Apart from the obvious which is making it a fun experience for the boys, Wakakirri encourages sustainability when preparing performance items. Waverley tries to support this initiative in a number of ways. We recycle props from past performances, use everyday clothes and school uniforms instead of costumes and overall we keep our message clear and simple.
The boys performed very well on the night, both their behaviour and their onstage performances were outstanding. We won the award for ‘best teamwork’, a very well deserved accolade considering we had almost 100 students on the stage at once! Our performance was unusual as it had seven lead characters. In our story, Fox Stapleton, Oscar Wilson and Lachlan Isaac showed kindness to Harry Ballestry, Jamie Vanderjkemp and Joshua Tsokalas. When they needed extra help Harry Bowcock was there to make their vision come to life. It can be very daunting to take the stage at a venue as prestigious as NIDA, the boys and in particular our seven lead actors more than rose occasion. I could not have been more proud of their performance. We are eagerly awaiting news as to whether we get into the Grand Final, we should find this out by the first week in September.
Thank you to all the boys who were involved in Wakakirri 2019, they committed their time and a huge amount of effort to this activity. Thank you to the staff for their patience through rehearsals and in particular to Jennifer Hoare, Tracie Ryan, and Matthew Ryan for supporting the boys on the night. Thank you to our Director, Gabrielle Smith, for giving the students and staff the opportunity to be creative and develop a love of the arts. Thank you to the parents for their loud cheering and allowing their sons to be part of this experience.
During the school holidays, while many boys still slept, the most enthusiastic of our athletes were at Queens Park three times a week from 8am. Working hard to catch up to last season’s highs, make improvements, and strive to improve on our never-ending search for personal bests.
Back at school in the new term, the boys had a maximum of six training sessions under their Waverlian belts before taking to the track at SOPAC against old rivals. With old and new faces alike, boys set themselves to doing their best, whether on the track or field, our athletes were keen to show their very best.
With some outstanding team and Waverley spirit displayed over the course of the day, it would be amiss not to mention a few special efforts. Our 13 and 14’s age group dominated throughout! Great news ahead for the Waverley Track and Field team in the coming years. Some special mentions include the following:
As our Intermediate and Senior boys led the day, demonstrating their love for the school and personal growth, these boys showed that they bled Blue and Gold for the school, and demonstrated leadership to our younger athletes. Special mentions of the week include the following:
With the season still young, the Track & Field team are very excited to see new faces and athletes down and joining the team. Whether you’re in Year 7-12, it’s never too early, or too late to join. Track & Field may at times be an individual sport, but it’s the team spirit and friendly competition that gets people home in record times, improved distances and always pushing for those personal bests. We encourage all athletes to get down to Queens Park on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays to get involved and challenge themselves to be the better version of their current self.
Waves to Win!
Australians are coastal people. Greater than 80% of Australians live less than 100km from the coast. As a result, it is logical that Year 11 Geography students study Coastal Sediment Budgets as part of the Biophysical Interactions unit of work.
In 2016, an intense east coast low-pressure system accompanied by a full moon created the perfect storm. The impact of this storm led to significant beach loss and the destruction of many homes at Collaroy.
Destruction at Collaroy in 2016
On the field trip to Narrabeen Coastal Education Centre, students learned about the role and function of sand dunes, acting as a buffer between the ocean and development. Furthermore, students witnessed the consequences of allowing construction to occur on the active beach zone, and evaluated management strategies in response to these issues. Sadly, climate change and rising sea levels will mean the issue, unless acted upon, will become worse in years to come.
The day was an overwhelming success with students making use of geographical instruments to deepen their knowledge of Geography. It was also a wonderful opportunity to consolidate the learning which has taken place in the classroom.
The Simpson Prize is a national competition for Year 9 and 10 students. The competition encourages participants to explore the significance of the Anzac experience and what it has meant for Australia.
This is an amazing opportunity for students with a passion for ANZAC History and writing. Eight winners are chosen from each State and Territory with the opportunity to visit overseas battlefields and participate in Anzac Day commemorations. Winners will travel in 2020.
Entries are due Friday 8 November 2019. For more information please contact Stephanie Boyce or Shannon Bronkhurst.
Click here for the latest careers update
2019 will go down as another positive year for Waverley College Rugby. It was a season which saw the‚ ‘Double V’ travel to Japan to participate in the Sanix World Youth Rugby Tournament. We had the opportunity to play at the brand new Bankwest Stadium at Parramatta ahead of a NSW Waratahs match. We enjoyed the company of visitors from the United States of America. Most notably, it was a year we showed how we, as a school, continue to play a great style of rugby with 11 CAS Premiership titles!
A highlight in 2019 watching the Waverley Rugby Community really get behind Digger Callander and the Beanies for Brain Cancer Initiative. Digger, a star player in our Junior School tragically lost his father, Matt, who had been instrumental in setting up the NRL Beanies for Brain Cancer Initiative. Digger was able to lead the 1st XV side out in the final game of the season, with all players in the 1st XV and 2nd XV wearing beanies onto the playing field. This gave Digger a moment he will never forget. A reminder of what makes rugby such a special game and what makes our community such a pleasure to be involved in. We rise by lifting others.
Waverley College fielded 22 sides in the 2019 rugby season. From the 82 CAS rugby matches Waverley College were involved with, as a school, we managed to win 60 games. A winning percentage of 73% – A strong result. Congratulations to all players and coaching staff on this effort.
Presentation Night was held last Friday night for players and families in the 13s to Opens age groups. Over 450 people gathered to celebrate what was an enjoyable night at Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club.
It was an enjoyable occasion with a great deal of spirit in the room. The Media Club shared a fantastic presentation including the season highlights, Brother Murphy gave his reflection on the season, the Class of 2019 were farewelled and the wonderful player achievements were recognised. Referees were also acknowledged for their efforts through the season.
The 15As who were coached by some of our outstanding Old Boys, Lachlan Drew-Morris, Ben Donaldson and Luca Moretti, were named as the 2019 Tim Kava Shield winners for a fantastic season. The team achieved an incredible feat going through the GPS/ISA/CAS season as undefeated.
This was matched also by the 16As, coached by James Horrocks and Shaun Foley, who also did not lose a match in 2019. This is a sign that some really exciting years of rugby lay ahead for the Blue & Gold jersey!
I would like to sincerely thank all the support in organising the night from the members of the Rugby Supporters Club committee (and their families) led by Denis Hickey and all those parents who helped on the night. Thanks also to the team at Easts Rugby Club for their great hospitality.
I would like to thank all those families and friends who donated items on the night, including Anthony Eyles who donated the Waratahs Jersey for the Lucky Door Prize as well as Old Boy Ben O’Donnell for donating two of his Australian Sevens Rugby Jerseys.
Farewell Year 12
On Friday Night we said our final farewell to those rugby players from the Class of 2019 who represented Waverley College. It will be very sad to see such a fine group of men leave Waverley. We thank these students and all their families for their contribution and support of Waverley College Rugby. Thanks must go to Alex Rice who spoke so well on behalf of his year group, Max Johnson who did a great job as Captain of Rugby and Luca Winch who helped lead the final chant of ‘We Are Waverley’ in front of the community! We wish these young men all the best for their futures on and off the playing field. Good luck & God Bless!
On behalf of the Waverley College Rugby Community, I would like to thank the following people who have contributed so much to the 2019 season:
While some may believe the final whistle has blown for the 2019 season ‚ I am pleased to announce that the Waverley College 1st XV still have one more game remaining this year. Waverley will play against St Augustine‚ (Brookvale) at Bankwest Stadium ahead of the Wallabies Vs Samoa test match. More details of this event will be communicated in the upcoming weeks.
I hope all members of the community have enjoyed the season and I look forward to seeing you for the final match of the year at Bankwest Stadium!
Waverley to Win!
Over the past 18 months, we have been on a journey to develop a uniform that has a contemporary feel, is flexible and comfortable to wear, and is better suited to the school environment and to boys’ learning. One key objective of the redesign was to reduce the long term costs for parents. We have achieved this by developing a uniform that is worn by boys from Year 5 to Year 12, has a transeasonal approach to everyday dressing through choice of core essential and optional garments, and uses newly developed fabrics that are lightweight, durable and comfortable.
Every College stakeholder group is represented and actively involved in the review process including students, parents, College staff, Old Boys and Board members.
Designer Jonathan Ward is leading the review and process. The former executive designer for R. M. Williams is known for his versatility, design sense and understanding of how school uniforms work. Jonathan has been working closely with the Uniform Review Committee to create new design proposals. The committee then discusses the proposals and agree on the final design.
The most recent development in the new uniform project is the official sign off of the core academic uniform. We want to thank you for your patience and the flow of supportive feedback that we have received from the community throughout the design process.
It is important to note that there is a one-year phase-in period, therefore, by 2021 the entire College will be in the new uniform. While all students have the option to wear the new uniform in 2020, it is only compulsory for Year 5 and Year 7 2020 students to be wearing the new uniform. The new core academic and sport uniform will be available for purchase in the uniform shop at the end of 2019. Please read the Q&A document below which provides detailed information about the uniform transition and outlines the specific uniform requirements per year group.
Please find below a sneak preview of the uniform, worn by Year 11 student, Will Baker and College Captain, Harry Whitaker. We will continue to keep you updated on further developments as they unfold.
In other exciting news…
After extensive consultation, we are delighted to advise that clothing manufacturer and retail services provider, Noone, will manage the retail operation of the uniform store effective from the start of term 3.
As you may be aware, Noone has collaborated with leading designer Jonathan Ward and members of the College Uniform Committee for the past 18 months to produce an exciting and innovative new uniform which will be introduced for the start of next year. The new uniform will be available later in Term 4 in time for new student fittings and will be on display in the uniform shop early next term. In January 2020, the uniform shop will launch an online store to make purchasing items simple and easy for families. More details about the online store will available shortly.
Established in 1947, Noone have a long history as a uniform supplier who specialise in the design, manufacture and retail management of uniforms for many leading schools across Australia. Noone currently have over 190 schools under their retail management which are managed through 9 dedicated retail stores and 50 on-campus uniform stores. Noone currently manage the uniform requirements of other leading local schools including Cranbrook School, St Vincent’s College and PLC Sydney.
With their extensive experience in retail management, the Noone staff will oversee the exciting rollout of the new uniform to our College community. Noone will also manage the existing College uniform stock over the 2020 transition period.
As a customer-focused organisation, Noone look forward to providing a personalised and professional uniform service to our College Community.
Further details can be found in the Q&A document below, and uniform shop opening hours can be found on our website .
We look forward to bringing you more information as the design process continues. Thank you for coming along this exciting journey with us.
While looking back at the 2019 season I was amazed by how far football has come at the College. Last year I said it was great to see the 1st XI run out onto Queens Park 1, this year we were able to see the Prep 1st football get to have the same experience as they were able to play on QP1. We also had the 1st XI win the St Andrews Cup at the start of the season in a two-day competition and progress to the quarter-finals of the CIS Cup. During the season we also had the opportunity to run a referees course which saw 15 Waverley boys take part in the one-day course and most referee some games for the school.
Last Friday was the annual Football Presentation Night which was a great night for all with the biggest number of attendees football has had. The night would not have been possible without the help of the football supporters club and the parents who gave up some of their time to set up and cook the BBQ for the night. I would like to say a big thank you to the supporters club members Lee Killigrew, Rowena Marsh-Cashman, Karen Roach and Jason Williams who organised the night and to the helpers on the night, Stacey Cail, George and Helen Candi, Rod and Michelle Forrest, Joe and Olimpia Mazza, Mila Palacio and Tony and anyone else who I may have missed. Lastly a huge thank you needs to go to Pia Killigrew who has designed all the flyers, gifts and various other promotional information for football. On the night we celebrated the achievements of all teams and presented awards to the Junior and Senior School teams. Please see below the full list of award winners. A big congratulations to the 8Bs and Anthony Candi for going through as CAS undefeated, CAS premiers and Rizzo Cup winners. Also, congratulations to all award winners and I look forward to seeing everyone again next winter at Queens Park.
Best and Fairest | Coaches Award | Contribution to Football | Captain Award | |
1st | Carter Killigrew | Luke Mazza | Alex Bayas | Carter Killigrew |
2nd | Sean Kearns | Roman Koteczky | ||
3rd | Remi Defina-Sperando | Andreas Fragias | ||
4th | Mawson Flitcroft | Alex Gross | ||
5th | Sebastian Puga | Aidan Korpar | ||
6th | Benjamin Rogers | Rocco Evans | ||
7th | Aidan Chew | Marcus Sterianos | ||
8th | Mitchell Fitzgerald | Eamonn Hassey | ||
10A | Billy Deutsch | Flynn Herbert | ||
10B | Jet Marsh-Cashman | Ethan Illidge | ||
10C | Evan Athanassiou | Ryan Bayas | ||
10D | Rory Hughes | Saia Afeaki | ||
10E | Brad Wilson | Sam Kneebone | ||
9A | Emilio Vinci | Valan Candi | ||
9B | Kayton Lee | Hugo Defina-Sperando | ||
9C | Luke Landon | Nathan Barns | ||
9D | Daniel Risk | Finley Stern | ||
8A | Elliott Kerr | Harvey O’Malley | ||
8B | Reece Emmins | Jett McTavish | ||
8C | Axel Pinkstone | Lachlan McMunn | ||
8D | Hirav Gandhi | Aiden Pascoe | ||
8E | Mitchell Marsh | Declan Strong | ||
8F | Max Velkovski | Xavier Quinn | ||
7A | Ricardo Zanapalis | Simon Frias | ||
7B | Hardy Mears | Lachlan Korpar | ||
7C | Max Fischer | Ashton Child | ||
7D | Zane Wixstrom | Bailey Barker | ||
7E | Lucas Screnci | Zac Summerhayes | ||
7F | Aren Yaghoubian | Kieran Markwick | ||
Prep 1st | Max Thompson | Kayden Baker | ||
Prep 2nds | James Peate | Yannick Hott | ||
Prep 3rds | Sebastian Ari | Constantine Iatrou | ||
Prep 4ths | Theo Varvaressos | John Varvaressos | ||
11A | Jackson Lorimer | Liam Lynch | ||
11B | Charlie McEvoy | Zachary Pereira | ||
11C | Dean Andrews | Jonathan Yates | ||
11D | Tane Barclay | Aidan Herlihy | ||
11E | Max Sheehy | Oscar Murray | ||
11F | Olle Wixstrom | Marcus Messaike |
Welcome back to Term 3, I hope you all had an enjoyable break with your boys.
As you were aware, throughout the last week of Term 2 I attended the 2019 International Boys School Coalition Conference at Selwyn House School, Montréal, Canada. It was here that I was given the opportunity to work alongside educators from across the world to share ideas and explore the best practices for educating our boys.
An exceptional session I attended was themed ‘growing good men through literature and storytelling’. In this session we looked at the importance of selecting books to read in school and at home where strong males are represented. We also focused on the value of having rich discussions around the boys’ learnings on masculinity from what they have read. This provides an opportunity to shift the discussion to what great men do, rather than warning younger boys what not to do. We will continue to immerse the boys in quality literature at school so they are explicitly exposed to strong male role models.
I would also like to take this opportunity to ask the Waverley community to keep in their thoughts and prayers Mr Greg Harris. As many of you are aware, Mr Harris was treated for multiple myeloma with an autologous stem cell transplant last year. Unfortunately, his disease has relapsed and he will need to recommence chemotherapy. Mr Harris will still be actively teaching while he moves through his treatment.
Book Week 2019 preparations are in full swing!
Our guest Author A.L Tait will be visiting the boys on Tuesday 20th August. Allison Tait is the author of bestselling children’s adventure series The Mapmaker Chronicles and a new adventure series called The Ateban Cipher. She is a multi-genre writer and speaker with more than 20 years’ experience in magazines, newspapers and online publishing.
The Book Week Parade will be held on Friday 23rd August at 1.30pm on the Junior School playground. Parents are warmly welcome to join in on the fun!
Throughout Term 2 the boys were given the opportunity to enter a piece of writing that met the 2019 WriteOn competition criteria to myself, Ms Gaby Bransby (Assistant Director of Curriculum) and Mrs Natasha Zivanovic (Literacy and Innovation teacher). The piece of writing had to be 500 words or less and needed to be linked to a picture of hats.
I was pleased to see many of the boys took up this opportunity. We were able to select one piece to submit from Stage 3 to the competition. Congratulations to Jethro Jenson (5 Green) whose piece of writing was chosen as Waterford’s top piece. I have included the introduction to Jethro’s story. He captures the audience’s attention, evokes emotion and leaves the reader wanting to know more.
‘The sun shone over the clear lake, warming the freckled toes of Adeline Horace. Adeline sat on the green grass lost in her thoughts. She reached for the bloom of daffodils and placed one gently in her braided ginger hair. As she caressed the canopy of leaves cascading from the old willow tree, her petticoat gently grazed the lake, causing a series of ripples to form over the water. She pulled herself to the nearest branch until she finally reached the top. There, she moved the leaves aside just enough so that her deep green eyes could absorb the sun’s rays. From here Adeline could see everything. And that’s when she heard it. The sound of twigs snapping beneath her feet.’
Congratulations to Jethro!
To learn more about the annual WriteOn Competition follow this link: https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/portal/nesa/about/events/writeon-competition
Round 4 was held on Friday 21 June at Waverley. The topic for the debate was ‘Should violent video games be banned?’
Both Waverley teams put forward strong cases and focused on their matter, manner and method to win over Coogee Preparatory School.
Congratulations on another great win this term!
On the last Wednesday of Term 2 both the Junior School and Senior School competed in the House Athletics Carnival at ES Marks Athletics Field. We were lucky to get the carnival up and running with some bad weather around in the lead up to the day. The Junior School students had plenty of opportunities to show their skills both on the track and in the field. At the conclusion of the carnival Lacey house came out on top and were declared House Champions. A Junior School Athletics team will be announced in the next week based on the results from this carnival.
There were various achievements over the school holidays where our boys represented us at many different events. A special mention to Angus Sundquist who captained the winning Sydney Bears team in the National Ice Hockey Competition that was held in Newcastle.
Also to Sam and Alfie Frain who competed in the State Golf Championships. Sam placing 5th and Alfie placing 3rd.
On the final Saturday of the holidays the Prep Rugby team were involved in an invitational game of rugby against a touring Canberra Grammar School. The game was played on Queens Park 1 on a warm Saturday afternoon. The game started as a tight battle with some very tough rugby being played. Waverley then started to get on top and finished the half strongly, at halftime the score was 38 – 0. The second half was a great battle with Canberra coming back and making it a competitive game with one try each being scored in the half. The final score was 45 – 7 resulting in a Waverley victory. Thanks to all the boys and teachers who gave up their Saturday to help create an exciting event for both teams.
Please note that this Saturday (27th July), we have a HUGE weekend of rugby at Queens Park. Not only will we be hosting neighbouring school, Cranbrook, but we will also be hosting a number of reunions as we celebrate the annual ‘Back to Queens Park Day’. This will also be the final time our Year 12 students will be representing Waverley College at Queens Park – a special moment for many of our boys.
We are calling for assistance from parents and supporters for one more time this year to help on the BBQ and Canteen duties. All 13s, 16s and Opens teams will be playing at Queens Park, while our 14s and 15s teams will be away (but not too far!) at Woollahra. If you are able to assist on this very important weekend, please feel free to register on the online roster. We would love to keep the BBQ/Canteen open for a longer periods on Saturdays, but we can only do this if we have more volunteers to help.
As we announced last term, Waverley College will once again be getting behind the Mark Hughes Foundation and Beanies for Brain Cancer. The Beanie for Brain Cancer NRL round will take place from the 25th to 28th of July. The purpose is to raise much-needed awareness and funds to promote research into this terrible disease and provide patient support.
Our 1st XV will, this weekend, wear Mark Hughes Foundation Beanies out onto the playing field as a show of support for this wonderful initiative and more importantly to show support for one of our star rugby players at Waterford, Digger Callander. Digger’s father, Matt, played a big part in launching the Beanie for Brain Cancer initiative in the NRL to support the Mark Hughes Foundation.
Beanies will be available for sale this week in the Queens Park Pavilion as well as the Wellbeing Centre (at the Senior Campus) and Waterford’s Front Office. Beanies this year cost $25 each. Let’s get behind Digger and the Callander family, and support the Beanie for Brain Cancer initiative!
Over the holidays, Waverley College had a number of students who were selected for various representative teams. Congratulations to the following students:
NSW 1s – Alex Rice (1st Place – Australian Schools Championships)
NSW 2s – Ronald Volkman, Miles Amatosero, Max D’Agostino
Cavalier Barbarian team – Levi Milford, Will Fagan
NSW U16s 1st XV – Fritz Jahnke-Tavana, Davvy Moale, Ethan King, Emmanuel Di Bartolo, Ethan Flanagan, Reeve Smith
Sydney Juniors U16s – Clem Halaholo, Klayton Thorn, Aaron Dimovitch, Joseph Morris
During the holidays, a squad of Waverley College players (16s & Opens) played against a touring Nike School Rugby Camp from California, USA. It was a great match played in good spirits with the Aussies too good for the American visitors winning 62-32. All the players involved enjoyed a good old fashioned ‘snag on a roll’ after the game while developing positive international relationships. Thanks to all students involved as well as the parents who came to support the fixture.
On Friday 16 August, the Waverley College Rugby Supporters Club will be holding the annual Presentation Night. This year the event for families from Years 7-12, and will be held at Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club (22A O’Sullivan Road, Bellevue Hill). This will be a great opportunity for players and parents to gather to celebrate the 2019 season, as we recognise the outstanding player performances and say farewell to our departing Year 12 students.
Tickets are $30 for Adults and $20 for Students (price includes meal as well as a ‘Lucky Door Prize’ ticket). Drinks can be purchased at the bar at club prices. Tickets can be purchased here.
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets MUST be purchased by 12th August (for catering purposes). No tickets will be sold at the door.
Good luck to all teams this weekend!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!