Term 2 provided students in Aungier House with time to engage in a range of community activities. The term presented opportunities for students to support a number of social justice initiatives and engage with the academic and co-curricular challenges encompassed within a short but busy period.
All students at Waverley College had the opportunity to evaluate the Wellbeing Program through an online survey. The data from this is currently being evaluated by the College Leadership Team as well as the Heads of House. Within this survey, students were asked to highlight other students who were seen by their peers as ‘Upstanders’. Pleasingly, there were three students in Aungier House who were identified as being people who stood up against poor behaviour or bullying. This included Jim Waterhouse, Hugo Stephenson and Josh Gentle. These students were congratulated at the College Assembly as well as the Aungier House Assembly.
Students in Years 5, 7 and 9 completed the NAPLAN testing in Week 3. This testing was again completed online, which all students seemed to get through well despite some minor technical issues. Aungier students also worked hard through the half-yearly examination block.
The Winter Sport Season really took off in Term 2. Aungier House had students involved in a range of activities including football, tennis, rugby, iSTEM, lawn bowls, table tennis, debating and media group. The footballers commenced the CAS season and Aungier students Joshua Psarros and Luke Mazza were given the honour of representing the 1st XI team. Congratulations to Aungier students Tom Jaeger, Oliver Ferguson, Marco Moretti, Lathan Hutchinson-Walters and Ronald Volkman who all had the honour of wearing the famous ‘Double V’ (1st XV) jersey.
Year 7 Dance
“It was the best night of my life!” These were the words used by one of the Year 7 Aungier students who attended the Social Dance in Week 8. Our Year 7 students enjoyed an exciting disco which was attended by girls from local schools; St Clare’s, St Catherine’s and Brigidine College. Our boys showed off some spectacular dance moves, but most importantly behaved extremely well and were gentlemen throughout the evening. The raised money for the event went to assist with funding for the Holdsworth Community Ball.
Virtual Reality
Aungier Students were again involved in the promotion of Refugee Week. The motto for Refugee Week this year was again #WithRefugees. House Prefects including Matthew Gallagher, Luke Mazza, Gabe Cuenca, Tom Jaeger and Conor Phibbs were marvellous in their promotion of the week. Announcements were read out across the Waverley College Community each morning including profiles on comedian, Anh Do, as well as Sydney Swans player, Aliir Aliir. Students also engaged in a ‘Virtual Reality’ tour of a Refugee Camp, which was an interactive display in the library.
Year 10 students were again given an opportunity to engage in the Big Brother/Little Brother program with students in Years 5 and 6. Aungier students gathered with their mates at the Waterford Campus, enjoying puzzles, card games, physical activities as well as some entertaining trivia. It was fantastic to see the student relationships continue to develop further and the connections between students in the Waterford and Our Lady’s Mount campuses really flourishing.
Aungier House mascot – Mackenzie Palmer
The House Athletics Carnival was an enjoyable day of competition between Houses. Aungier walked away from the carnival in 5th position, which was a terrific effort. There were some stand out performances from Ricardo Zanapalis, Alejandro Zanapalis and James Elfes, who won the 13s, 14s and 16s 100m Championship races respectively. All students from Years 5 to 12 gave their all for Aungier, including in the War Cries at the conclusion of the day. Special mention to house mascot, Mackenzie Palmer, who not only displayed great house spirit but gave the other Aungier men something to smile about in his ‘Sumo suit’!
Aungier at the House Athletics Carnival
Term 3 will once again see many exciting and challenging events for Aungier House. Our Year 12 students will be continuing to work hard in the HSC Trial Examinations (5th August – 19th August). Term 3 will mark the end of the Winter Sport Season (hopefully with plenty of CAS titles!) and the commencement of the Track & Field Season. The Waverley College Cadet Unit will be off to camp for the Annual Bivouac, and we will say farewell to our departing Year 12 students who graduate with a farewell Mass and Assembly at the end of term (27th September).
The ‘Beanies for Brain Cancer’ initiative will also be a key project which all Aungier students and families are encouraged to get behind in early Term 3. This is an initiative led by one of our youngest members, Digger Callander, and his family. Digger’s father, Matthew, sadly lost his battle with brain cancer in 2017. Early in Term 3 (July 25th – July 28th) will see the NRL Beanie for Brain Cancer Round. Beanies will continue to be sold at Waverley early next term to raise funds for the Mark Hughes Foundation in fighting brain cancer.
I would like to congratulate all students in Aungier House for the continued positive efforts in Semester One. I would also like to wish all students the very best as we move into a new term, which will be the final term of school for some students. I look forward to catching up with all students and families at the Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews at the start of Term 3. And please don’t forget to buy a beanie!
Wishing you all a safe and restful holiday period.
Wednesday 17th July | Red Earth Immersion Departs
Monday 22nd July | Staff Day
Tuesday 23rd July | Term 3 – Classes Resume
Saturday 27th July | Back to Queens Park Day
We thank you Lord, for this term.
For the challenges, the successes, and the mistakes from which we have learnt.
Help us to reflect on where we are at in our life and make any necessary changes as we seek to grow and be more hope-filled people.
We pray for those in our community who have terminal illnesses, may they be pain-free and find peace soon. Let their families appreciate every last moment with them and realise they will live on with You and in them.
We pray for those suffering from depression, may their burden be lifted and they find and seek support from others.
Be with us as we spend time with family and friends.
Give us strength and courage to do what is right: to be witnesses of our faith in all our interactions in our community.
Help us to be a practical Christian these holidays, to appreciate what others do for us, to give time and effort to help others.
Keep us safe in our activities; give us good rest and good fun.
Bring us back refreshed and ready for a new term.
We thank you for our classmates, teachers, parents and a community that cares for us.
May we always be conscious of you in our lives.
Blessed Edmund – Pray for us
Mary MacKillop – Pray for us
Live Jesus in our hearts – Forever
Amen
Last weekend saw the commencement of the CAS competition against Knox Grammar School. Waverley College did amazingly well, winning 15 out of the 22 games played on the day. Congratulations to the 13s age group who made it a ‘clean sweep’, with the 13As through to the 13Es all walking away with nice wins. Our 1st XV met strong opponents from Wahroonga, who turned up with a terrific game plan and proved to be too good on the day.
This weekend we have another big round of rugby against St Aloysius’ College. Although we have had some rain this week, which has interrupted some training sessions, all players need to be ready to go on Saturday. If rain is about on Saturday, players and families should ring the Wet Weather Line on Ph: 8250 3780. Please do not assume games have been cancelled as whilst it might be raining outside your front door, it might be fine in other parts of Sydney.
In the unfortunate event that a player suffers a head injury, there is a clear procedure which should be followed. This has been set out in the Rugby Australia Concussion Procedure. Information on this can be found here.
Players, Parents, Referees, Coaches and Medical Officers all have an important part to play in treatment and follow up of any head injuries. It is particularly important that the player involved is referred to a medical doctor or the emergency department as soon as practical (within 72 hours of the injury).
Players should also be issued with a Concussion Referral & Return Form (by the medical staff at the ground where the player has the head injury). This is an important document in following up any concussions which have taken place. This document ensures that players have medical clearance from a doctor before returning to play. A reminder that the minimum period before return to play is 19 Days for Children/Adolescents Aged 18 and under.
This year Waverley College will once again be getting behind the Mark Hughes Foundation and Beanie for Brain Cancer. One of our star rugby players at Waterford, Digger Callander tragically lost his father, Matt, after a battle with cancer two years ago. Matt played a big part in launching the Beanie for Brain Cancer initiative in the NRL to support the Mark Hughes Foundation. 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.
Beanies will be available for sale 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!
Please take note of the upcoming rugby schedule for the end of Term 2 and the commencement of Term 3.
Week 9, Term 2
Monday 24th June – SELECTED TEAMS ONLY – Queens Park
Tuesday 25th June – SELECTED TEAMS ONLY – Queens Park
Wednesday 26th June – NO TRAINING – HOUSE ATHLETICS CARNIVAL
Thursday 27th June – NO TRAINING
Friday 28th June – CLASSES CONCLUDE TERM 2
Week 1, Term 3
Monday 22nd July – NO TRAINING – STAFF DAY
Tuesday 23rd July – 16s & Opens Training Resumes – Queens Park
Wednesday 24th July – 13s, 14s & 15s Training Resumes – Queens Park
Thursday 25th July – 16s & Opens Training – Queens Park
Saturday 27th July – CAS ROUND 3 Vs CRANBROOK (Back to Queens Park Day & final home match for our Year 12 students)
Good luck to all teams this weekend!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
Wet and difficult conditions did not stop five Waverley College students competing in the NSW Inter Schools surfing competition held at Maroubra Beach on Tuesday 18th June.
Facing a strong four-foot swell and tricky wave conditions, Chase Hardaker, Charlie Rodger, Axel Runow, Krispin Tomac and Finn Filipek surfed against the best 16 – 19yr old male surfers in the Southern Sydney Division; all schools between Sydney Harbour and Cronulla.
Students progressing through to the second round included Charlie Rodger, Krispin Tomac, Finn Filipek and Chase Hardaker. Finn and Krispin’s heats came down to the wire, each boy coming within three points of a place in the semi-finals.
Overall, it was great to see the young men challenge themselves, applying their talents surfing against the best school students in the region.
The Preliminary Marine Studies course focuses on marine safety, dangerous marine creatures, the anatomy and physiology of marine organisms and employment opportunities within the industry.
Last Friday the Year 11 Marine Studies students spent a day in the city to compliment the knowledge they have developed this semester in the classroom. First stop was the Sydney Fish Markets where some brave students tried unusual breakfast delicacies such as sea urchins and oysters. Following breakfast we walked around the fish markets, identifying different species of fish and crustaceans and discussed job opportunities from commercial fishermen to fishmonger. The students were positively received as they were offered work experience with one of the stores.
The Sydney Sea Life Aquarium was next on the itinerary, where students were able to view up close the organisms they have been studying and recognise some of their interesting characteristics and adaptations.
To finish the day we had lunch as a group in Chinatown, discussing where the seafood we saw in the morning ends up!
Refugee Week is Australia’s peak annual activity to raise awareness about the issues affecting refugees and celebrate the positive contributions made by refugees to Australian society. Originally celebrated in 1986, Refugee Week coincides with World Refugee Day (20 June). In 2019, Refugee Week was held this week from Sunday 16 June to Saturday 22 June.
The theme for Refugee Week for 2019 is #WithRefugees. The theme celebrates the courage of people who speak out against persecution and injustice. It serves as a call for unity and for positive action, encouraging Australians to improve our nation’s welcome for refugees and to acknowledge the skills and energy refugees bring to their new home.
At Waverley College, students participated in a range of activities within Wellbeing Groups to help raise awareness around Refugee Week. This included students from Aungier House who presented profiles on refugees who have made positive contributions to Australian society.
Last week I was fortunate enough to attend a three-day residential program at Mary MacKillop House, Sydney. The program brought together colleagues from across the EREA community, providing opportunities for personal reflection, dialogue with other leaders, and exploration of the stories that shape the way we understand our identity and mission. It was wonderful to share our current practices and also look at the many initiatives in place in our fellow EREA schools, which I have been able to bring back to the Waverley community.
Next week I will be attending the 2019 IBSC Conference at Selwyn House School, Montreal, Canada. I will be given the opportunity to work alongside educators from across the world to explore the latest research on boys education.
We have a responsibility as educators of boys to help our students become empathic, aware, solid, respectful, open-hearted, and responsible people. The conference theme focuses on the need for boys to learn to share themselves emotionally for their own mental wellness. It will also look at the vital roles parents, educators, and administrators play in the emotional wellbeing of the boys in our care.
I look forward to sharing the many takeaways from this experience with the staff, students and community upon my return.
Over the last few weeks, our teachers have been involved in writing Semester 1 student reports, that will go home to parents on Friday 21st June.
Teachers put in an enormous amount of effort to provide accurate and meaningful student reports. They have continued to assess and evaluate student progress throughout the year, in order to provide parents with the most accurate account of student abilities.
Each student’ report will continue to have an A-E rating scale to evaluate a child’s achievement against the statewide standards, not against other students in your child’s class.
Parent/Student Interviews will take place on Monday 29th July. This is an opportunity to discuss your son’s report and work with the class teacher on his strengths and weaknesses. You will receive an email on Friday on how to book in for your interview.
This year the new Science and Technology K-6 Syllabus is now mandatory across schools in NSW. This has been a wonderful opportunity for the Junior School to have a close look at our current programs and practices and look at how we can best equip our students with the educational needs they require for the future.
The Science and Technology syllabus continues to get students to explore their understanding of the world through scientific investigations and technological concepts. However, this new syllabus now also incorporates four different types of thinking to further develop and challenge how students see and interact with the world around them. Another exciting component of the syllabus is the Digital Technologies content strand. This strand provides students with opportunities to investigate existing technologies and create digital solutions, whilst giving them the chance to interact, understand and become critical consumers of information.
We have also taken the opportunity to integrate our new Science programs with other subject areas. We have focused on creating STEM units this term in both Year 5 and Year 6. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) are identified as essential areas of study for Australia to maintain a high quality of life. Research has told us that students will benefit from STEM by learning about innovation and further developing their problem-solving skills. Through our STEM units we hope to give students experiences that will enable them to contribute to the world as active global citizens both now and in the future.
This STEM unit has been integrated with 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. They have created animated versions of their stories on Scratch to supplement their final product. Through this unit students will investigate the Scientific concepts of forces, electricity, safety around electricity and conduct scientific experiments. They will use their mathematical skills to compare results, record data and formulate conclusions.
Their final products will be showcased in an open afternoon for parents and members of our school community to attend and celebrate their learning.
This STEM unit is focused on developing areas around Waverley College Junior School that are in need of refurbishment, unused or poorly maintained. The aim of this unit is to give students agency in the development of this area. Within this STEM unit students investigate the concepts of sustainable design, the characteristics of materials, create design solutions, work-out measurements, used data to inform decision making, devise a budget based on their design and material and use technology to sketch and print a 3D prototype using a 3D printer.
This is an exciting opportunity for an authentic learning experience and a chance for students to see their designs and ideas implemented throughout the College. Their final products will be showcased in an open afternoon for parents and members of our school community to attend and celebrate their learning.
Cross Country: Last week we had 4 of our students attend the NSWCIS Cross Country Carnival out at Eastern Creek Raceway. Jack J, Maddox W, Sam L and Oliver E all attended the carnival and ran a challenging 3km race. The boys were placed 2nd as a team of 4 and Jack was placed 4th overall. A fantastic result for these boys and we wish Jack all the best as he advances to the NSWPSSA Carnival next term.
Touch Football: Last Tuesday the following students Lachlan A, Monty A, Hamish P, Cruz C, Felix K and Jack J attended the NSWCIS Touch Football trials at Penrith. After a tough day of trials and effort, unfortunately, none of the boys were selected into the 12 man squad. The boys represented the College with pride and should be proud of their efforts to achieve at such a high level.
Congratulations to our newly elected Junior School Sustainability Leaders, Marcel Fernandes, George Ellis, Charlie Couts, Charlie Scott-Terrie, Kirby Foltman, Liam McMaster, Constantine Iatrou, Charlie Grant, Liam Sexton, and Orlando Maisenbacher. These students will be leading sustainability initiatives at Waterford and working closely with the Senior School Sustainability group.
This term, the Sustainability Leaders have been helping to run our Junior School ‘Return and Earn’ initiative. The aim of this initiative is to encourage us all to recycle where we can while earning money to go towards fun resources for our playground. Students have been ‘voting’ with their recycling between outdoor art supplies, a giant Jenga set or gardening equipment. Each bottle or can is worth $0.10 when taken to a ‘Return and Earn’ collection point. The clear winner so far is a giant Jenga set so we will continue with our recycling efforts until we have raised enough to purchase. So far, we have raised $27.00. Remember to recycle your bottles and cans so we can reach our goal!
Our Year 5 students have been taking part in an exciting Visual Arts incursion this term. Every Wednesday afternoon, a different Year 5 class has had the opportunity to visit the Art Room in the High School to work with Miss Natalie Oates, the Head of Art. In this session, the students used a variety of techniques to build an image of their favourite electronic object. They each worked in one colour, learning about tonal shading and monochromatic scale. Each class has created a panel with a collage of their design for display in their classroom.
In Term Three, Year 6 will have the opportunity to work with the High School TAS department and Mr Kyle Newbury. These incursions are a wonderful opportunity for the Waterford students to access the specialist teachers and resources of the High School.
Thank you so much to Miss Natalie Oates and Miss Kaitlyn Downey for facilitating this fantastic experience for our students.
On Thursday 6th June, the Waterford Campus held their Annual Edmund Rice Activity Day in honour of Blessed Edmund Rice. The day was filled with lots of different activities both in and out of the classroom. Apart from learning about the life of Edmund, the boys also participated in a range of fundraising activities at recess and lunchtime. All money raised on the day, will be donated to Edmund Rice Camps. We were lucky enough to have Emily Banks from the organisation, as well as Matthew Dalghiranis, a Waverley College Old Boy and camp volunteer, attend our morning assembly. Both of our guests spoke to the boys about the role of Edmund Rice Camps as well as their own experiences. We thank them for giving us an insight into the wonderful work that they do to help the lives of others. Overall, the boys managed to raise approximately $850, a truly magnificent effort for one days’ work.
Special mention to James Peate and fellow cast members, Lachlan Marzol, Yannick Hott, Xavier Miconi, Lachlan Rowney and Max Sheehy for presenting the play on Edmund Rice during our assembly. James wrote, directed and acted in the play. Thanks again James.
As Semester 1 draws to a close, our boys are finalising their formal examinations and assessments and our teachers are assiduously marking papers and projects to provide informative feedback and report on student achievement and areas requiring attention.
Waverley’s mission is to empower all students to realise their academic and personal potential to actively contribute to society. Our aim is to ensure that all boys can achieve growing academic success by all its measures. Feedback and reporting are essential in helping our students reach their learning goals. A key element of achieving success is resilience and building capacity for continuous reflection.
To this end, more important than any mark or grade is the conversation at home and at school with our boys that gets them thinking about the specifics of their efforts and helping them develop strategies that will make a difference for future learning.
Our reports provide information to help parents start the conversation with their sons about their work in individual subjects and how to support them in looking ahead.
The challenge for our boys is to be actively reflective throughout their learning rather than wait for a mark from an examination to answer the question of ‘how am I going?’. When reading their Semester 1 report, I encourage the boys to take some time to ask themselves ‘what will I do differently next time?’ and to think about strategies that will improve the quality of their work rather than focus on marks or ranks.
Download this weeks Careers Guide here
On the 28th and 29th May, teams from Year 7 to 11 participated in the annual Da Vinci Decathlon held at Knox Grammar School. The competition comprised of teams of 8 completing a variety of academic tasks ranging from code-breaking, creative producers and ideation to cartography, engineering and art/poetry.
Boys worked collaboratively on challenges throughout the day based on their areas of interest and/or subject strengths. The competition itself is incredibly challenging and designed to ‘stretch brains’ – and our Waverley boys had some tough competition to compete against with many selective and top academic independent schools participating.
On both days we managed to place in categories – with our Year 8 team placing 2nd for General Knowledge, Year 9 placing 3rd for Mathematics, and Year 10 placing 3rd for Science.
Well done to all teams!
On May 18th a team of Year 11 students participated in the F.A.P.S.A Ethics Olympiad at Rosebank College. This was the first Olympiad ever to be held in Australia, and is known as the Ethics Bowl in the United States. The event itself emphasises the importance of respectful, meaningful dialogue when dealing and discussion a range of ethical dilemmas relevant in today’s society. Some of the topics covered include privacy and data collection, the concept of self image, political correctness and relationship dynamics. All students involved said it was a different yet rewarding experience which would be very beneficial if part of the school curriculum.
Well done to the boys who volunteered to be the first Waverley team to participate (especially for giving up their Saturday).
Ned successfully completed the English Channel swim (34km) in 2017 before taking on the Catalina Channel (38km) and the Manhattan Island (42km) in 2018. He is the youngest male to ever achieve this ‘Triple Crown’ of open water swimming. Ned completed these swims in support of R U OK? raising close to $45,000 in funds and generating significant awareness.
Last Thursday evening Ned was acknowledged for all his achievements at the R U OK? awards night. Ned was awarded with the trophy (pictured) for YOUNG CONVERSATION CHAMPION.
The Larkin family wishes to thank Ned for the immense role he has played in placing emphasis and bringing massive awareness to the R U OK? message. Particularly in an all-boys school Ned has reminded us how important it is for students to make connections, have empathy and look after one another. Ned has been committed to changing lives through conversation. Amazingly he has managed that alongside school commitments and arduous swim training. Ned has delivered the message loud and clear in a very public arena particularly with his big swims. As a consequence, he has had a very big and very positive influence on our young men.
Congratulations on your incredible achievements Ned. Your award is very well deserved.
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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