The Winter Sport season is back into full swing now, with our rugby teams having some challenging trial rounds against St Augustine’s and St Joseph’s. It is great to see teams really starting to develop some cohesion and improving each week. Waverley have two remaining trial fixtures against The King’s School and Riverview, which should provide an ideal lead into the CAS Competition (following the Queen’s Birthday Long Weekend).
This weekend, Waverley College makes history in playing on the new Bankwest Stadium at Paramatta. It should be an exciting clash against the very talented King’s School 1st XV, ahead of the NSW Waratahs Vs Jaguars Super Rugby match . We wish all players and coaches the best of luck and encourage all students and families to come along to support the Double V!
It was wonderful to see the Prep 1st XV playing on Queens Park 1 last weekend. The mighty team made it three wins in a row, defeating our neighbours from Cranbrook School, 36-0. Congratulations to Monty Armstrong, Lachie Algie, Cruz Clarkin and James Finegan who all scored nice tries, as well as Cruz Clarkin and Hamish Punch who helped in adding the extra points (conversions).
Earlier in the term, the Rugby Mentoring Program was launched. All Year 12 rugby players were invited to assist in helping players in junior teams during training sessions. The response to this has been fantastic, with a number of players (including many 1st XV & 2nd XV stars) heavily involved in mentoring the junior boys. This is an initiative that aims to build a positive culture in developing relationships between the older and younger students – a key function in driving school spirit. Congratulations to all players involved in this.
Rugby is a team sport. From time to time, some of our teammates get sick or issues arise which are out of their control. This can force certain individuals to miss out on training or a fixture. Communication is extremely vital if we ever run into these situations. Players and parents are encouraged to contact Mr McCoy (jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au) and Mr O’Donnell (sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au) anytime students may be unable to play. Updates to team lists will be made regularly on “Team App”, which all players are encouraged to monitor. A reminder that if a player is unwell to play but can still make a match, they are required to still attend to support the team. If a player is unwell and cannot be at the ground, a medical certificate is required (as outlined in the 2019 Rugby Team Guide).
As mentioned in previous communications, the Waverley Rugby Team App is a resource we hope all members of the Waverley Rugby Community have access to. It includes fixtures, team lists (updated weekly), match reports, live scores, and photos. If you do not have it already, we encourage you to download this free app. You can access the Team App at https://www.teamapp.com where you can simply search for “Waverley College Rugby” and request access. You are also able to download the Team App to your iPhone/iPad/Smartphone device by going to the App Store and again search for “Team App” (created by Team Mates). Once downloaded to your device you can then search for “Waverley College Rugby” and request access.
Good luck to all teams over the coming weekends!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
Waverley College is committed to being a safe school both in the playground, classroom at co-curricular and when our students engage on social media. The College appreciates the value of social media for students as a fun and effective way of communicating with their peers. We are also aware that it’s much easier to say negative things behind a computer than face to face with someone. The negative message on social media can be read over and over causing further anxiety for the student who received it.
There continues to be a zero tolerance at the College for any student who engages in cyberbullying. To this point, there have been no cases of re-offending by any student at Waverley College.
Recent legislation following the tragic death of teenager Dolly Everett will put cyberbullies in jail for up to five years. The College supports the state government amendments which mean abusive online trolls and those who send threatening texts or emails would be slapped with Apprehended Violence Orders. Like all matters involving the NSW Police, the College will support any investigation.
Under existing Commonwealth laws, trolls using a carriage service to menace, harass or cause offense are to face a maximum of only three years in prison. The NSW offence now carries a five-year prison sentence. Examples of what will be covered by the laws include posting threatening or hurtful messages on social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, posting abusive images or videos, repeatedly sending unwanted messages or abusive emails.
At a recent assembly I reminded boys of the simple steps to take if they are ever exposed to cyberbullying:
1) Don’t feed the trolls; they want a reaction. Be aware particularly when responding when you are angry or upset.
2) Collect evidence; take a screenshot as soon as possible before the content is removed.
3) Tell someone; parents, your Mentor, Head of House, Deputy Head of College. All of these people can do something about it. Serious online bullying should be reported to the Police or the eSafety Commissioner.
4) Protect yourself online; update privacy settings, delete awful messages and block the sender.
Over the last few weeks, our students had the opportunity to visit Redfern Jarjum College, which helps Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children to return to mainstream schooling. During the visit our students were able to spend some one-on-one time with students at Jarjum, listening to their creative writing and assisting them with some reading and maths tasks.
“We have enjoyed the time at Jarjum, meeting the teachers and students. It is obvious that the students attending Jarjum are keen to learn. We listen to them read or read to them, we help them with maths and play with the students during breaks.”
Matt, Deputy Principal and Tom, Principal, are always welcoming and happy to share stories of their days work at Jarjum. When we hear of the social and developmental hurdles the students have to jump through just to get to school, let alone engage in teaching and learning, we can’t help but feel how lucky we are.
Visiting Jarjum for Waverley College’s First Nations students means that we can provide an example of where they could be in just a few years’ time. It gives us a chance to model education and show how important it is for your future to remain in school.
We are looking forward to developing the connection between Waverley and Jarjum and hope one day they might come and spend the day with us at Waverley.
An exciting new opportunity for students to showcase their individual gifts and talents in a collaborative, creative manner.
Tournament of Minds is a problem-solving program for teams of students from both primary and secondary years. The tournament’s aim is to enhance the potential of our youth by developing diverse skills, enterprise, time management, and the discipline to work collaboratively within a challenging and competitive environment.
They are required to solve demanding, open-ended challenges from one of the following disciplines: STEM, The Arts, Language Literature, and Social Sciences. The team will comprise of students in Year 7 to 10, with preparation beginning in Term 2, and the Challenge itself taking place in Term 3.
This is a diverse extra-curricular program that allows students to utilise their skills in teamwork and problem solving beyond the classroom. This program is for students of ALL abilities and skill levels, especially those who love to be creative and solve challenges.
For any expressions of interest, please contact Stephanie Boyce, sboyce@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Congratulations to Hugh McSweeney who is the recipient the 2018 Year 10 Academic Excellence Award from the University of Sydney.
This scholarly ceremony was held in The Great Hall at Sydney University on April 3rd 2019. Hugh reflects that “the night was a fantastic celebration of academic success for students throughout Sydney and included speeches from an Associate Professor and a Dalyell scholar student. Their speeches highlighted the University’s central academic principles and their original approach for holistic student development in a 21st-century environment. The experience provided a unique insight into the transition from high school to university, and the array of opportunities available at the University. I was very humbled to have received this award.”
Hugh was joined by fellow EREA recipients and an article will feature in an upcoming RICEAN acknowledging this outstanding achievement.
Waverley College-Hugh McSweeney
St Patrick’s College- Jeremy Short
St Pius X -Duncan Dingley
Imagine that you’re back in high school and instead of learning in a classroom, you have the option to get your PADI Open Water Diver course and make the ocean your classroom – it’s an easy choice isn’t it? Senior students at Waverley College have the option to undertake the schools increasingly popular Marine Studies course which includes getting scuba certified. To read more, please follow the link to the PADI website.
Waverley College is offering an eight-week language course to parents for just $50. The course runs every Wednesday, from 6.30pm to 8pm. Limited spots available. For more information email srichards@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Watch the video below to find out more.
https://animoto.com/play/HfJ1Jq8rPG3L8ZcYOk2g0A
On Friday 24 May, Edmund Rice Foundation Australia (ERFA) will be hosting the ERFA Sydney Long Lunch to help raise awareness and funds for the inspirational programs we support in Australia and around the world.
We are very lucky to have secured the services of the entertaining Andrew Coorey as Master of Ceremonies and guest speaker, Commissioner Robert Fitzgerald, AM.
In attendance, we’ll also have Br Frank O’Shea (Director) and Liz Mwangi (Programs Manager) of the Ruben Centre. The Ruben Centre is situated in the heart of the Mukuru Slum in Nairobi and a short video of their incredible work can be seen at here
All members of our supportive school, corporate and individual communities are welcome but please note that the capacity of the venue dictates us to use a first in best dressed policy.
All funds raised on the day will further empower our wonderful communities by giving them access to quality education. For more information, sponsorship opportunities and to register your attendance, please visit www.erf.org.au/sydney-long-
We look forward to seeing you on the day and thank you once again for the work you do in supporting this great cause.
During the first week of the holidays, the Waverley College first XI attended the prestigious two-day St Andrews Cup at Valentine Sports Park. Waverley was handed a tough group with Saint Ignatius College Riverview and 2017 champions Oakhill College. The first XI needed two wins to progress to the semi-finals on day two. Waverley kicked off the day against Oakhill with the team from Castle Hill starting brightly. Waverley was able to come away with the three points with the game finishing 2-1.
In the second match of the day Waverley were out to avenge their loss to Riverview in the recent trial game. Waverley started hard and fast giving Riverview no time on the ball. Wave’s were able to hold on for the 2-1 Win.
On day two of the tournament Waverley played fellow CAS school St Aloysius College in the semifinals. Final score Waverley 2 St Aloysius 1.
Waverley progressed to the St Andrews Cup final and new they would have to play a hard fought game against local rivals Cranbrook if they were to bring the trophy home. The St Andrews Cup Final finished Waverley 3 Cranbrook 0.
Special thanks have to go to the St Andrews School for hosting a great tournament and all the teams that attended for playing the game in good spirits. Go the Waves! Waverley was also featured on football NSW
Players are reminded to wear the correct Waverley uniform to matches on Saturdays. This includes Waverley Football Jersey, shorts and sock; shin guards and boots. Players are also reminded that they are to turn up 30 minutes before the game starts for a warm up. Players are not to turn up for a game they prefer due to times, they are to turn up for the team they are in. If players are unsure of teams they can check the canteen notice board and on TeamApp.
Football is now using team app for many notifications including team lists, scores and fixtures. TeamApp is downloadable from the app store and can be downloaded on both Apple and Android devices. To follow Football please create an account with team app and search for Waverley College
Making the most of the local area, under glorious sunshine on Monday 6th May, Year 7 students embarked on a combined Social Justice / Geography excursion to Centennial Park.
Focusing on an upcoming assessment task, students explored water flows in, out and around the wetlands and ponds within Centennial Park. Setting out on an orienteering course, teams made use of water testing equipment at regular intervals to determine Ph levels, water movement, turbidity and a ponds capacity to support wildlife. A focus of the day was on sustainability and management of the wetlands, including the impact of the surrounding area on flora and fauna within the park.
With a focus on stewardship and sustainability, students rotated through activities and recorded their experiences and inspirations provided by nature. Meditation in the park was a highlight for most, students were guided through a meditation focussing on being present in nature.
Students also took time to create an adventure story requiring a fictitious hero saving the planet. These stories were amazing with the best story published later in the year. Students also created prayer tree to encourage peace and harmony within our planet. The prayers are now displayed in the College playground.
The highlight of the day was painting an environmental picture. Ms Kitas ran this activity beautifully. The boys were able to use their artistic flair and passion for the environment to create a small masterpiece.
Overall it was a fantastic experience for the young men of Waverley College and an enjoyable day was had by all. A special thanks is extended to Ms Walsh, Mr Thompson, Nicholas Brophy, Mr Chan, Mr Boulmelhem, Ms Attard, Ms Binyamin and Ms Cooper.
It has been lovely welcoming the boys back to Term 2 and hearing all their holiday stories.
It was wonderful to see so many mothers, grandmothers, aunties, godmothers and those who are like mothers to the Waterford boys at our annual Mother’s Day Mass today. The boys certainly loved having you at school for this special occasion. On behalf of the Waterford community, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Mother’s Day on Sunday.
The Waterford students are to be commended for their wonderful generosity throughout the season of Lent. The 6 Gold boys generously donated Easter Eggs to gift three beautiful Easter baskets as prizes. The support from all the boys at Waterford was magnificent. The Raffle was drawn on the last day of Term One with over $450.00 being raised for Project Compassion. The following boys were overjoyed when they heard their names called out as the winners:
1st Prize: Aidan Herlihy (5 Gold)
2nd Prize: Hugo Fernandez (5 White)
3rd Prize: Kirby Foltman (5 White)
4th Prize: Orlando Collins (6 Gold)
Louis Agius in 6 Gold is also to be commended for his fantastic initiative in organising a cake stall to support Project Compassion. His beautiful baking raised over $150.00.
I would like to congratulate all the boys, teachers and families involved in the annual Armidale Rugby Tour which took place at the end of last term. Forty boys in Year 6 represented Waverley College in the Blue and Gold Rugby Squads at the Armidale School during the first weekend of the school holidays. Mr Harris, Mr Ryan, Miss Hoare, Mr Proudfoot and Mr Lavorato spent four weeks prior to the competition preparing the boys at training sessions for their matches.
It was a highly successful carnival for both teams, in particular, Mr Harris’ Blue Squad who made it to the Division One Final against Southern Districts Rep Team. Although a loss, Mr Harris was delighted with their outstanding achievements. The Gold Team was also successful achieving 4th place in Division 4. Player’s awards went to Rhys Ferguson and James Finegan in the Blue Squad and Jasper Goodwin and Luke Newrick in the Gold Squad.
All boys should be commended for their spirit, commitment, teamwork and sportsmanship. The boys and parents expressed their love for the weekend; the experience; the efforts of staff and the new friendships they had formed. Special thanks to Mrs Trudy Devereux for her amazing efforts in organising the social events for the parents over the weekend.
I would like to thank all the teachers for their generosity of time, effort and support in making the weekend a success and a wonderful experience for the boys that they will always cherish.
In 2019 the National Assessment Program – Literacy & Numeracy (NAPLAN) will be conducted for all students in Years 3, 5, 7 & 9 in all government and non-government schools. The program will assess the literacy and numeracy learning of all students in all Australian schools.
The tests will be conducted across Australia on the same timeframe for all students. The Year 5 students at Waverley will follow this timetable;
Tuesday 14th May – Writing test
Wednesday 15th May – Reading test and Language Conventions test
Thursday 16th May – Numeracy test
For each test, students will require headphones and their laptop fully charged as all tests are online. The testing each day will be conducted over one to two periods. When not involved in testing the students will have normal lessons.
On Wednesday we welcomed Channel 9 to Waterford to film a segment for Nine’s Gold Telethon. We were approached as we have been a long-term fundraiser of The Sydney Children’s Hospital through our annual walkathon organised by Mr Gill.
The boys involved had to answer the question “How would you brighten the day of a sick kid?” I was impressed with the genuine care and empathy the boys displayed which was reflected in their responses.
We look forward to this going to air on Monday 11th June.
NAPLAN – Monday 14th, Tuesday 15th, Wednesday 16th May
Year 6 Canberra Excursion – Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd, Thursday 23rd May
Founder’s Day Holiday – Friday 7th June
Queen’s Birthday – Monday 10th June
Year 5 Cyber Bully Incursion – 1:30pm-3:00pm – Tuesday 11th June
Reports Home – Friday 21st June
House Athletics Carnival – E.S Marks Athletics Field – Wednesday 26th June
Music Showcase Concert – PAC 7:00pm – Thursday 27th June
Congratulations to all those who were involved in making our albeit intimate May Procession such a wonderful celebration. Despite the wet weather it was delightful to see so many old boys return to the College for this very special celebration. Mrs Jennie Hickey our special guest on the day gave a very engaging and pertinent address. Excerpts can be found below.
In my preparation for today, I was drawn to three qualities which were evident in the lives of both Blessed Mary and Blessed Edmund Ignatius Rice that provide inspiration to all of us and which we should aim to develop in our own lives.
The first is courage.
When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to invite her to be the mother of Jesus she was confronted with the risk of being cast aside from her family, being discarded by Joseph and being stoned to death.
The angel’s appearance to Mary is regarded as one of the joyful mysteries of the Rosary but I am quite positive that at the time of this annunciation, Mary would have initially had a range of feelings about what was she was being invited to do. I often ponder the magnitude of the request made of her, and her courageous affirmative response.
And what of Joseph? I suspect Joseph would have been somewhat bewildered by Mary’s impending pregnancy. Whilst we know the angel appeared to him to explain the situation, what courage it must have taken for him to say to her “I believe you, and I will stand beside you.”
Working with his uncle’s exporting and importing commercial ventures, Edmund Rice was a talented salesman with skills that contributed to the success and expansion of his uncle’s business. I imagine he would have spent many hours working tirelessly to ensure the success of his business and establish a comfortable lifestyle for his pregnant wife. When his wife sustained severe
injuries following a fall from a horse and unable to fight the accompanying fever, he was left widowed with a disabled child. A situation he could not have possibly predicted.
What courage would he have needed to cope with these changed circumstances?
Courage is an attribute that makes us worthy of respect and in some cases attracts notoriety. Most recently we witnessed this when antitheist, Dr Richard Harris and retired vet, Dr Craig Challen were named Australians of the year for their courageous efforts in helping to rescue the 12 young Thai boys and their football coach from the flooded Tham Luang cave in the Chiang Rai province of Thailand last year. Their own cave-diving holiday plans were interrupted when they were called upon to join the team who worked under extreme and risky conditions to rescue the boys.
Interruptions stop us in our tracks and challenge us to reframe our thinking and alter our course of action. Sometimes the interruptions are short lived and at other times they set us on a course far different from where we had imagined we were headed.
The second quality I wish to focus on is resilience.
The Harvard Business School believes any business today needs a workforce that is resilient. They say that a resilient workforce will have the capacity to handle difficulties, demands, and high pressure without becoming stressed, will have the ability to respond flexibly and adapt to changing circumstances and bounce back from defeat and disaster.
Mary and Edmund showed great resilience.
To be resilient is to face reality, have a purpose and connect with something greater than ourselves. Mary accepted the invitation given by the Angel to be the mother of Jesus because her faith was what gave her a sense of purpose. In the ensuing years of his changed circumstances, Edmund Rice searched to find greater meaning in his life and established not only schools to educate the poorer boys in Kilkenny but to found two religious orders of Brothers – the Society of the Presentation and the Congregation of the Christian brothers. His work soon spread throughout Ireland and eventually to other parts of the world.
Some 200 years later, his tradition of offering a liberating education, based on a gospel spirituality, within an inclusive community committed to justice and solidarity is offered to yourselves and another nearly 40,000 young men and women in Australia.
Mary and Edmund lived lives that achieved much. They were inspired and directed by love, a love for God, a love for something beyond themselves. When we act from this same base, we can do great things.
Some amongst your school mates are doing that now. I commend Tom Carey for his commitment to the Leukaemia Foundation following the death of his sister. I also commend those of you who regularly volunteer to programs such as Redfern Jarjum College, the Holdsworth community or the Matt Talbot Hostel. Others of you work diligently to raise funds for Caritas, not to mention Ned Weiland who is the youngest male to have achieved the triple Crown of Open Water Swimming last year. Congratulations on such endeavours Ned, and what is most inspiring is that you are combining your success with raising funds for the RUOK? charity.
This is the message I hope you take with you today. Find a purpose that is greater than yourself, that is based on love, because then you will be able to be courageous and resilient as was Mary and Blessed Edmund Rice. Then YOU too will live extraordinary lives.
The annual CAS Ecumenical Service was held on Monday the 6th of May at Barker College. Waverley College was represented by six outstanding Year 11 students; Sebastien Richardson, Maksymilian Klimczak, Christopher Salem, Noah Ratcliff, Patrick Smith and Andre Bonani.
Throughout the afternoon the student representatives from all the CAS schools discussed and learned how to engage in more effective storytelling and public speaking. Afterwards, the students participated in an ecumenical chapel service and sung hymns, embodying the spirit of the CAS.
Ultimately, it was a great experience that resulted in our representatives meeting other like-minded students from around the area and helped them learn some valuable life lessons.
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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