I am pleased to announce that our new buildings will be opened by Governor General Sir Peter Cosgrove on Friday 18 November 2016 at 2pm. The building will be blessed by the Most Rev Bishop Richard Umbers, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Sydney and Dr Wayne Tinsey, Executive Director of Edmund Rice Education Australia will also be present.
Sir Peter has graciously agreed to the naming of our new complex as “The Cosgrove Centre”. This incorporates the existing, revamped Br J P Lacey Gymnasium.
This will be an exciting day for the whole community. It is my pleasure to invite all parents, carers and friends to attend (you are asked to be seated in the gym by 1:30pm) and to join us afterwards for afternoon tea.
Please REGISTER YOUR ATTENDANCE HERE.
The Cosgrove Centre
I would like to encourage parents to be involved with the transition to our new Waverley College Parent Association by attending this important meeting.
Meeting details are as follows:
Tuesday 8 November 2016
Junior School Library
(Parking available in Senior School Carpark cnr Birrell & Henrietta Sts)
Special General Meeting 6.30pm
Annual General Meeting 7.00pm
The Special General Meeting will propose that the current Waverley College Parents’ and Friends’ Association Constitution be dissolved and a new Waverley College Parent Association Constitution be adopted.
The new Association will be a merger of Waverley College Parents’ and Friends’ Association and the Mothers’ Club. The new constitution will encompass the current roles and responsibilities of each group and allow for growth in the future. The meeting will also recognise and acknowledge the significant part these groups and their members have played in shaping the history of Waverley College.
The management and control of the Parent Association will be vested in the new Committee, consisting of the Head of College; a President; two Vice Presidents; an Honorary Secretary; an Honorary Treasurer; at least one parent representative of each of the College Year Groups (Years 5 to 12), a Clothing Pool representative and such other number as may be decided by the Annual General Meeting. The Waverley College Development Office will be the main point of contact for the new Association.
The Annual General Meeting at 7pm will be the first meeting of the new Association and a vote will be taken to appoint new office-holders to the above positions.
IMPORTANT: The new Association seeks to appoint at least one Year Parent Representative from each College Year group and strongly encourages any interested parent to register their interest, preferably prior to the meeting by emailing Jennifer Divall, Marketing Manager at jdivall@waverley.nsw.edu.au.
I have provided a downloadable copy of the new Constitution at the bottom of this page. Please make time to get involved if you can.
I would like to warmly congratulate our new student leadership team, who are listed in full in Graham Leddie’s report. In particular I congratulate our new Captain, Tyler von der Heyden, and Vice Captains, Alfie Killigrew, Ben Donaldson and Finn O’Sullivan. All of our new leaders will face the exciting challenge this year of re-defining their roles as part of our new house system. I am confident they will perform outstandingly and of course the Executive and all staff will be supporting them every step of the way.
A formal whole school assembly to present our new leaders to the College will be held on Wednesday 2 November at 12:15pm and all parents, carers and friends are welcomed to attend.
It was a great pleasure to celebrate with our basketball community the first official CAS game on the courts in our new gymnasium last weekend with a stunning cake organised by the Basketball supporters. After a long period of disruption our basketballers are revelling in the beautiful new facilities.
It has been fantastic to see the enthusiasm at training and so many students looking positively towards making this season a memorable one. Students also thoroughly enjoyed meeting and hearing from current Australian test Wicket-keeper Peter Nevill – who was the special guest at last week’s sports assembly. Peter presented awards and spoke strongly of the importance of team work, leadership and resilience in the pursuit of achieving goals, and challenged all students to give the best of themselves in all their activities.
Despite many games washed out last week, 3 of Waverley’s 2-day teams begun strongly on their first day against Cranbrook, with each of the 1sts, 2nds and 9A teams bowling first. All teams are capable of executing a well-planned chase of their respective totals, and hopefully there our determination to work through challenging periods in the game to build strong partnerships will ensure plenty of runs this week for Waverley. With the ball, well done to Brock Preston with 3/30 (and 2 catches) and Leo Shanahan with 2/40 in the 9A game for their best bowling performances this season. Joel Ellis was a key contributor and partnership-breaker for the 1st XI in dismissing Cranbrook for 217. Jeremy Vanos and Daniel Andrews were consistent and creating chances for the 2nd XI – with Cranbrook limping to 4/161 after day 1.
All students and parents can be kept up to date with all the latest team lists, news, live score and photos of all the action weekly by downloading the free Team App for all devices from the app store. You can then search and submit details for Waverley College Cricket – so we look forward to developing this further.
All students currently in Years 8, 9 or 10 have an exciting opportunity to be a part of the Waverley College Cricket Tour to New Zealand in December 2017. Students have been given information notes and an itinerary about what is a unique opportunity to play competitive matches in a culturally and geographically beautiful nation, and strengthen friendships with team mates. Parents need to email jmccallum@waverley.nsw.edu,au by Friday October 28 to express their interest in the tour.
By Mr J Boyd and Mr G Elliott
On arrival at Horden Oval the covers were on and light rain was falling which meant the start of play would be delayed. As the rain lifted and the covers were removed, Cranbrook won the toss and elected to bat.. In the 3rd over however a shouldering of arms, saw Ben Scarf hit off stump with the score on 5. Cranbrook dug in and at lunch was 1 for 42. After the break Jack Hardwicke-Owen was given the ball and with the score on 54 found an edge onto the thigh, which ballooned to keeper Ben Donaldson. The 3rd wicket fell to an excellent piece of fielding from Ben Scarf at cover diving to his left, raising to the knees and rocketing the ball to the keeper for a run out with the total on 65. The 4th wicket fell with the score on 90 when Tyler Von der Heyden trapped the man in front. Cranbrook batted slowly and with great care moving the score to 134 at before the reintroduction of Joel Ellis swung the balance in Waverley’s favour. His stump-to-stump bowling produced the next 3 wickets, all bowled to have Cranbrook teetering at 7 for 147.
Mac Jenkins claimed the 8th wicket accepting a catch off his own bowling making it 8 for 153. He was unlucky not to have another scalp, when with the total on 164 a ball was skied in the direction of long on only for the chance to be grassed. The new ball was taken and this brought a flurry of shots from the Cranbrook batsman who had been given the life. He progressed the total to 198 before a smart piece of fielding from keeper Ben Donaldson resulted in a direct hit at the non strikers end as the batsmen failed to make his ground. Runs still flowed until with 214 on the board a good piece of fielding, and even better thinking from Joel, finished the innings as he run the ball in to break the wicket with both batters at the other end. Joel Ellis was the best of the bowlers with 3 for 29 but Mac Jenkins was again the workhorse bowling 25 overs to finish with 1 for 24.
Waverley had a nervous 15 minutes to bat. Openers Jack Hardwicke-Owen and Mac Jenkins navigated the 5 overs and posted 18 runs in that time. Next Saturday will see Waverley requiring a further 196 for victory with all 10 wickets intact. A sensible approach and partnerships are what is needed to get the result.
We pray this week for all boys at the Junior School who are commencing their Yearly Exams over the next two weeks:
God of Wisdom,
We pray that our minds might be rested, our bodies energized and our spirit inspired for the exams we must sit.
Grant us peace and assurance so that we might do the best we are able, regardless of what that might be.
Be with our fellow students. May we be good examples to them, offering reassurance and confidence regardless of how we feel.
May we be honest and insightful and able to give a true record of what we have learned. In the end, may any disappointment be accepted with grace and any joy accompanied with humility.
This we pray in Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Blessed Edmund Rice: Pray for Us
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
Live Jesus in our Hearts: Forever
A reminder that all money promised for the Walkathon needs to be handed in by the end of this week. It is extremely important that we account for all the money promised. We would like to present the cheques to the different charities at the end of our exams.
Special recognition needs to go to a few boys in particular for their wonderful contributions:
A truly inspirational effort of which the charities supported are going to benefit a great deal.
A reminder of the different charities we are supporting this year:
A reminder that in week 4 from November 2 to November 4 all year five boys will be attending a year camp at Vision Valley. Could I ask yet again that all required letters be sent into the office by the end of this week.
A reminder that drop off time at the PAC is 9.15am. Can I again ask parents to be considerate of our neighbours and ensure they park legally and not across residents drive ways.
The end of year Music Recital for the boys involved in music at the Junior School will be held on Thursday November 17 in the Performing Arts Centre on Birrell St. More information for the boys involved will be sent home after the yearly exams.
After two rounds of summer sport boys are well and truly into the swing of things. Some games and training sessions have been disrupted by rain but from all reports the games played so far have been competitive and lots of fun.
Please note the details for the Year 6 Graduation are as follows:
Date: Wednesday November 23, 2016
Venue: Br J P Lacey Gymnasium (Senior School 131 Birrell St)
Time: 6.15pm boys will be required at 5.50pm
More information regarding the Graduation will be sent home later in the term .
The Year 5 Presentation Afternoon will be held in the gym as well to cater for the increased numbers on Friday November 25 and will commence at 1.00pm sharp.
More information will be sent home in early November.
A reminder that Tuesday November 11 is set aside for the boys progressing onto the Senior School in 2016 to complete their Orientation Day.
Congratulations to-
Dear Parents,
Waverley College Junior School Christmas Appeal
Christmas time can be a lonely and difficult time for many people throughout Sydney, therefore this year we are hoping to support a few different charities that need our help this Christmas.
YEAR 5 – Matthew Talbot Hostel
The Matthew Talbot Hostel is a social justice initiative run by The St Vincent de Paul Society, aimed at helping the homeless men of Sydney.
Donations include:
Toiletries (preferably small travel size items), underwear, socks, chocolates, notepads, pens.
Year 6 – Kids Helping Kids
The Kids Helping Kid program is an initiative run by The Smith Family aimed at helping the disadvantaged school children in Australia. We supported this charity earlier in the year by raising money on Edmund Rice Day.
Donations include:
Stationery (which means things like) e.g. packets of pens, colouring pencils, textas, highlighters, scissors, erasers, pencil cases.
Giving Tree
You are invited to donate a gift for our Junior School ‘Giving Tree’. The gifts are for disadvantaged children throughout the local and wider communities of Sydney. The gifts are for children of any age range, both boys and girls.
These gifts need to be wrapped in clear plastic with the age range specified on the wrapping. The gifts are then to be brought into school and placed under the Christmas tree.
Thank you for all your generosity in supporting these worthwhile charities.
Kind Regards
Mr Stephen Ghattas – REC Junior School
Please note that the end of year exams will be held as follows:
Boys should have already commenced revision and study.
2016 Exam Timetable
| Year 5 Exam Timetable – Week 3, 4 & 5 Term 4 | ||||
| Thursday
27th October Day D |
Friday
28th October Day E |
|||
| English Comprehension | English Punctuation & Grammar | |||
| Monday
31st October Day F |
Tuesday
1st November Day G |
Wednesday 2nd NovemberDay H |
Thursday
3rd November |
Friday
4th November Day B |
| English
Text Types |
Mathematics
Chance & Data Mathletics
|
Year 5 Camp | Year 5 Camp | Year 5 Camp |
| Monday
7th November Day C |
Library and French exams will take place during your timetabled class time. | |||
| Spelling Test Week
|
||||
| Year 6 Exam Timetable – Week 4, Term 4 | ||||
| Monday
31st October Day F |
Tuesday
1st November |
Wednesday
2nd November Day H |
Thursday
3rd November Day A |
Friday
4th November Day B |
| Mathematics
Periods 3 and 4 |
Spelling
Periods 1 and 2 |
English
Listening / Text Types Period 1 English Comprehension Period 2 |
English
Punctuation Period 3
Mathletics Period 4 |
Mathematics
Periods 1 and 2 |
| Library and French exams will take place during your timetabled class time. | ||||
This week’s question:
A school has 90 children. During the day, each child attends 4 classes. Each class has 15 children and 1 teacher. During the day, each teacher teaches 3 classes. What is the smallest number of teachers the school can have?
All correct entries go into a weekly draw for a $5 Canteen voucher. Hand in your solution to your Mathematics teacher.
Think you know the answer?
by Andrew Bannister
It is the aftermath of civil war in the vast pageant of planets and stars known as The Spin. Three years since he crushed the rebellion, Viklun Haas, industrialist and leader of the Hegemony, is eliminating all remnants of the opposition. Starting with his own daughter.
But Fleare Haas, fighter for Society Otherwise has had a long time to plan her next move. Sprung from her remote monastery prison and reuniting with a team of loyal friends, Fleare’s journey will take her across The Spin to the cluster of fallen planets known as The Catastrophe Curve and from exile, to the very frontiers of war.
Meanwhile, in the brutal and despotic empire of The Fortunate, word is reaching viceroy Alameche of a most unusual piece of plunder from their latest invasion. For hundreds of millions of years, the bizarre planets and stars of The Spin itself have been the only testament to the god-like engineers that created it. Now, buried in the earth of a ruined planet, one of their machines has been found.
“The smoke moved, swirling towards the Tower and wrapping itself round the column nearest Fleare. It wasn’t smoke, she realized, it was mire like fine black dust. Dust that moved. She stepped back reflexively and glanced at the hovering ovoid. Its hum was getting stronger, and a tongue of violent light sprang from the front of it casing. Just like the video. Flare backed away. And then stopped and turned, as another sound – a loud buzz- filled the Vigilance.”
This exciting novel is available now to borrow from the Senior Library.
Our first weekend of the new Summer Co-curricular season was unfortunately hampered by rain but was still a successful one for Waverley. Our 1sts and 2nds Tennis teams had tremendous wins against Tennis powerhouse St Aloysius’ College. This is the first time in a number of seasons we have beaten Aloy’s at this level and with a young developing squad this is exciting for upcoming seasons. Our 1sts and 2nds Basketball, along with a number of other Basketball teams, also secured some very good wins. The feeling at our new facilities was tremendous and I think we can turn our gym into a home ‘fortress’ much like Queens Park in Winter. It was great to see the support and overall level of sportsmanship displayed. After waiting for these tremendous facilities the hard work, vision and patience of the Head of College, Executive, Basketball Supporter Group, coaches and players started to pay off on Saturday with our performances.
This weekend we travel to local rivals Cranbrook and hopefully we can keep the success going. The 1sts and 2nds Basketball are playing a Friday evening fixture: Students are encouraged to attend as supporters and should note that normal expectations apply for standards of behaviour, attire and representing the College in the best possible way.
We are also hosting Newington at Maroubra in Table Tennis on Saturday, and have our first swim meet of the new season this Friday night at North Sydney Pool.
All of Year 12 are expected to be at their weekend sporting commitments despite attending retreat this week. It is also imperative students attend matches for their assigned teams.
As part of the broader co-curricular program of Waverley College there has been some very positive feedback regarding the number and variety of activities some of our weights & fitness students are doing this term. From specific sprint and agility training to Monday morning pilates and yoga and Friday futsal. This contemporary approach to the delivery of a wider program already seen great participation and I am confident a lot of the impressive results from this season will continue and even improve next year.
Good luck to all teams this week and ‘Go the Waves!’
The Clouds grew darker as the 1sts and 2nds from Waverley and St Aloysius’ met at the Kingsford clay courts. The first match of the summer season began with much optimism.
Waverley broke a ten year losing streak against a strong team to be victorious with the 1sts and 2nds achieving a win in the first round.
Waverley started well by winning 3 out of the 4 doubles sets in the 1sts and 2 out of 4 for the 2nds.
As the singles matches kicked off, the 1sts were put under pressure as St Aloysius’ came back and it came down to the last match to decide the win. Finally at the end Waverley won both the games leading Aloysius 5 sets to 3 in the 1sts and 5 sets to 3 in the 2nds.
With this win, it is the first time both the 1sts and 2nds have had success against St Aloysius’ in 10 years.
The first round welcomed two new team members, who both gave stand-out performances; Lachlan Unsworth and Jai Munzone. This was their debut in the 2nds and first time playing in the Opens. They combined in the doubles to win both sets and won their singles, helping to lead the 2nds to victory.
Over the recent October long weekend, youth sailors from around Australia contested the NSW Youth Sailing Championships on Botany Bay.
244 boats and many of Australia’s top youth sailors travelled to Georges River Sailing Club Botany Bay for this annual regatta.
Racing was held over 3 days in variable weather conditions ranging from light to very strong winds – A real test for sailors of all levels.
It was a good weekend for Waverley’s Will Cooley, placing 2nd in the highly competitive Laser 4.7 fleet.
Recently selected for the NSW Youth Sailing Team, it was a solid result for Will in his first try out as part of the NSW Youth Team.
Will has a string of regattas coming up as he prepares for the National Championships and Australian Youth Championships in Adelaide over the New Year break.
By Angus Mattick & Matteo De Vecchi, Co-Captains (Waverley Basketball)
Welcome to Waverley Basketball 2016 – 17. This season is already looking very promising, with over 30 Waverley teams participating from Year 8 to Opens. In addition we are taking advantage of the fantastic new training and playing facilities that will undoubtedly lead to an improvement in team performance across all year levels. In addition to the new ‘State of the Art’ facilities, a new basketball program has been implemented so that coaches from 8H’s to Opens are following uniform guidelines for both style of play and team culture.
The season started early for players aspiring to make the top teams in each age group. In addition to intensive training, the 1st V and 2nd V participated in trial games against Moriah College, for which we had a first up win, followed by a tough game against Shore which didn’t result in a win, but provided essential experience to take on St Patrick’s College Strathfield in the following week. The 2nds fought gallantly, but unfortunately lost in a close game, while the 1sts had a victory against a much bigger St Pat’s side and were ably led by Dean Stojanovski.
The final pre-season game was against Sydney Grammar on the last Friday night of Term 3 and gave us a taste of the excitement we can expect for the scheduled night match against Cranbrook during the upcoming CAS season. In this match-up, the 2nd V had a battle on their hands. The quick Sydney Grammar guards proved challenging, but a very good game by Mark Goncalves set the tone for the rest of the team and they were able to step up and come away with a win. The 1st V on the other hand were not so fortunate and lost in a very close game. Like the 2nd V, Grammar’s 1st V had the advantage of quick guards who could also shoot, which allowed for great floor spacing and a very tough offence set-up. Waverley was led by Dean Stojanovski and Alex Higgins-Titsha. This loss added fuel to the fire for the players, who were eager to redeem themselves in the upcoming Sydney Schools Shootout.
To keep the momentum going two 3-day intensive training camps were held over the holidays. The first camp was for senior players, led by 1st V coach, Mr Johnny Jovine, 2nd V coach, Mr Tom Chamberlain, and assistant coach, Mr Tony Montano. There was also a junior development camp run by Coach Mr Jovine and Coach Mr Goran Veg (10A/B’s coach). Mr Veg is a new coach at the school and we wish him the best of luck for the season. These camps were intense, but also immense fun for all the students as it was opportunity to bond with each other and form strong relationships within the groups.
The senior training camp culminated the Sydney Schools Shootout, which is the premier pre-season basketball event for schools in the Greater Sydney area. This is always a tough assignment for Waverley and this tournament was no different. The 1sts had intimidating group matchups against Newington, St Ignatius’ Riverview and St Augustine’s College on the first day and Cranbrook on the second day but we gave a good account of ourselves.
The 1st V struggled against the size and might of Newington, but were able to regain composure and get back on track to match-up competitively against Riverview. The game was close throughout with Alex Higgins-Titsha leading the team with strong attacking play. The final game of the first day was against St Augustine’s College. This team was quick, long and also tall. These attributes disrupted our game plan and allowed them to walk away with the victory. The second day we matched up against CAS rivals Cranbrook School. Waverley came out strong led by Alex Higgins-Titsha, Dean Stojanovski and Hayden Walton and came away with a satisfying victory which is hopefully a sign for further success throughout the upcoming CAS season.
The 2nd V pool for the Sydney Shootout was similarly strong with games against Newington, Riverview, St Augustine’s, Chatswood High and St Luke’s Grammar. The highlight of the tournament was the game against Chatswood. This was a back and forth game with Waverley up by 1 with 20 seconds left on the clock. Brendan Morrissey was fouled and went to the free throw line to try to seal the game. He hit both free throws to put Waverley up by 3 points. Chatswood then inbounded the ball and came down the court to heave up a last ditch attempt and thus tie the game. Although we didn’t come away with the win, it was a learning experience that will push us to avoid similar situations during the CAS season.
The first week back at school culminated in the Selection Trials. The 1sts and 2nds players helped with the grading of the teams on the day as part of the mentoring program that has been implemented where players are assigned to teams and help out the coaches during the session. This program is designed to foster relationships, build the strength of the program, and also for the older boys to be role models for the up and coming players.
The selection trials day culminated in the traditional match up of the 1st V and 2nd V against the Waverley Old Boys. This is always a fun event with the old boys trying to show that they are fitter and better than us. It went down to the wire with a 1-point victory to the Old Boys in the 1st V game, so congratulations to them for that. The 2nd V found it more challenging, losing by 15 points, but it was a great experience to play those games and thank go to all of the Old Boys who turned up for keeping a great tradition going.
For first game in the new state of the art gym for the 1st V and 2nd V our opponents were St Aloysius’, which was ironic as they were our last opponents in the old gym two years ago. The 2nd V were coming off a historic season when they broke a 15 years old College record for most wins by a 2nds team and were playing with a similar squad to last year, with 7 players returning. The 2nd V also welcomed three debutants to the team, including senior Jake Thomas and juniors Hayden Walton and Mark Goncalves, as well as a new coach, Tom Chamberlain.
The 2nd V started off very well, forcing St Aloysius’ to take bad shots, and with Brendan Morrissey and Jake Thomas combining for early buckets as a James Matis’ buzzer beater took the team into an 18-8 lead at half time.
In the second half Waverley picked up from where they left off by fighting off any sort of comeback St Aloysius’ offered, as Finn Wright dominated the rebounds and gave the 2nd V a 39-27 win.
The 1st V were keen to get off to a good start after a disappointing season last year when they did not win a single game. Captain Dean Stojanovski led a very different team from last year, with 6 new faces including Johnny Pawle, Matt Miller, Ryan Abbot, Kyle Goulding, Alex Higgins-Titsha and James Campbell. Last year’s 2nd V coach, Johnny Jovine was now in charge of coaching the 1st V.
The 1st V came out firing with Dean Stojanovski setting the pace and making tough lay ups, while Alex Higgins-Titsha forced St Aloysius’ into bad passes, leading to easy transition buckets. While setting the tone on defense, Waverley went into half time with a comfortable lead.
Early in the second half James Campbell found himself in foul trouble which allowed veteran Ryan Lewis to step up and drive the crowd into a frenzy by making 5 consecutive shots, with three 3-pointers sealing the game for a 79-64 win. In a great start for Waverley basketball, it was the first time in almost two years both 2nd V and 1st V shared wins.
Both the 1st V and 2nd V now look forward to playing Cranbrook in Round 2 on Friday night and hope for as much as support as possible to cheer us to victory. Waverley students who are coming to support must wear Waverley uniforms.
Waverley enjoyed a very successful start to the season chalking up many wins against St Aloysius’.
The 1st V and 2nd V were most impressive and played as well as any Waverley 1st V and 2nd V teams I have seen over the past few years. Both teams have new coaches with last season’s 2nd V coach, Mr Johnny Jovine, taking over the 1st V coaching role and previous 9A/B coach, Mr Tom Chamberlain, taking over the 2nd V. Both teams worked hard over the pre-season, having participated in additional training sessions, trial games, training camps and a tournament, and this preparation was evident in each game.
1st V players Dean Stojanovski (24 points), Alexander Higgins-Titsha (20 points) and Ryan Lewis (18 points) kept the scoreboard ticking over in their game, while Johnny Pawle was fearless and tenacious in defense. Second-year veteran Jeremy Petritsis, along with newcomers Matthew Miller, Luca Zanarini, Kyle Goulding, Ryan Abbott and James Campbell played solid games. The 1st V led the entire game to eventually post a very satisfying 79-64 win. Overall, it was a great team effort and a performance worthy of the first 1st V game in our new gym.
The 2nd V played equally well, especially in the first half where they outscored their opponents by 18-8, laying a solid platform. The second half was a much closer affair, however the 2nd V had done enough early on to snare victory with the final score being 39-27. Jake Thomas (8 points), Finn Wright (6 points), Dion Hatziandreou (9 points) and Brendan Morrissey had great games, however it was a superb team effort that helped them to prevail.
Following the 1st V game, a small ceremony was conducted at the post-game luncheon to mark the opening of the new gym and courts. The Basketball Supporter Group had organised a special cake for the occasion. Head of College, Mr Ray Paxton and Head of Sport (Senior), Mr Stephen O’Donnell, were both in attendance with Mr Paxton participating in the cutting of the cake with Co-captains of Basketball, Angus Mattick and Matteo De Vecchi, Captain of 1st V Dean Stojanovski and Captain of 2nd V James Markham assisting. It was a very special moment, considering Waverley Basketball has been without a home court for almost two years and has had to endure significant disruptions to the program during this period. Particular acknowledgement and praise must go to Mr Paxton, Mr O’Donnell, the Maintenance Department, the Basketball Supporters Club and Waverley staff members too numerous to mention for their work in making the new facilities a reality as well as coaches, players and their families for their patience during the transitional period.
In other games Waverley posted wins in the 3rd V (50-35), 4th V (36-28), 11th V (14-4), 10A’s (29-27), 9C’s (29-28), 9D’s (24-4), 9E’s (18-4), 9F’s (34-8), 8A’s (28-27), 8C’s (35-19), 8D’s (42-15), 8E’s (54-5) and 8F’s (38-18). The following teams played well, but narrowly lost their games: 9th V (20-22), 10C’s (18-19) and 10E’s (24-26).
This week we take on local rivals Cranbrook with the 1st V and 2nd V playing their games this Friday night. Historically, Friday night games have been tense and thrilling affairs with the final result being very close. Students are encouraged to attend Cranbrook gym to support both teams, however please ensure that only Waverley approved uniforms are worn on the night. Entry will be refused to students who do not observe this requirement. The 2nds game will tip off at 6pm while the 1sts game will start at 7:15pm.
Players are asked to check their teams carefully for this weekend’s fixtures. The team lists have been posted at the entrance to the canteen. There has been significant movement, especially in the Opens teams. Note that teams are not fixed and movement up or down throughout the season is possible.
Good luck to all teams this weekend against Cranbrook.
It was an absolute delight to see the level of interest and commitment shown by the Senior Students who applied for leadership positions for 2017. This reflects the positive culture of the College articulated in the Strategic Plan as Waverley students build positive, resilient relationships and demonstrate leadership.
Congratulations to all of the staff and students involved in the application and selection process. I look forward to working closely with each of you to further enhance current wellbeing practices.
I have spent much of the last week attending Professional Learning programs run by Geelong Grammar’s Institute for Positive Education. Through the “Introduction to Positive Education”, “Positive Education in Action” and “Implementing Positive Education” workshops I have shared experiences with educators from across Australia and the world.
I also had the opportunity to visit a number of comparable schools in and around Melbourne to learn from their experiences in implementing a vertical House structure for the delivery of Wellbeing and Pastoral Care Programs. Without exception, all of these schools reported that the ongoing relationships developed between boys and their families, the mentors and the Head of House had a marked impact on student connectedness and wellbeing.
I am sure that by working closely with our newly elected student leaders, the Heads of House and the broader Waverley community that we can continue to build upon the outstanding array of programs and opportunities available and thereby optimise the holistic wellbeing of our students.
Over the past three weeks it has been my great honor and privilege to attend the inaugural Congress of Edmund Rice Education Beyond Borders in Kolkata, India.
The Congress was attended by 200 passionate educators from from 22 countries where Catholic education, inspired by Jesus and Edmund Rice, makes a difference in the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people, united by the common belief that we touch the future by the quality of guidance and care we give to emerging generations.
The congress was held in incredible India! A vast and diverse land of so many contrasts and contradictions; a beautiful and sacred culture that has so much to teach us.
In the Bhagavad Gita, a text so integral to Indian spirituality, Lord Krishna proposes that the true essence of education is the acquiring of what He calls ‘virtuous knowledge’: the capacity to perceive unity in diversity and reverence for the universal God presence in all.
During this, my first visit to India, I learned that authenticity and excellence in Catholic schooling has little to do with the numbers of Catholics we have enrolled or the standard of our buildings and facilities.
I learned that inclusion is at the heart of the Gospel and exclusion is the Gospel’s greatest betrayal.
I learned that a school’s capacity to make a difference is not simply dependent on its physical resources but on humble resolve within the school community to build the Reign of God and embrace solidarity with the excluded.
As a group, members of the Congress walked in pilgrimage to St Joseph’s, an Edmund Rice School in Kolkata on the first day. As we did so, for a brief time we witnessed the lives of many who live very humbly and whose dignity as human beings is challenged by poverty and exclusion. I will long remember the images of these and other people whom we encountered during our time in India and the thought of them will continue to guide my efforts to bring to birth a global vision for education based on hope and liberation.
I doubt that there is anywhere else in the world that holds ‘the beautiful’ and ‘the tragic’ in such fine balance as Kolkata: it is colourful, bustling, crowded, proud – an indescribable ‘City of Joy’. A favorite son of this city was poet, educator and Nobel prize winner Rabindranath Tagore. Tagore, who was described by Gandhi as the moral voice of India, proposed that education must free people from narrowness and intolerance. Education wherein, to quote Tagore: ‘The mind is without fear and the head is held high; where knowledge is free; where the world has not been broken up into fragments by narrow domestic walls; where words come out of the depth of truth.’
We gathered on a weekend when India was celebrating both Ghandi’s birthday and Mother Teresa as Saint Teresa of Kolkata. In his opening address, Wayne Tinsey, Executive Director of EREA, called on us to have Ghandi’s moral strength inspire us, his regard for the downtrodden move us and his quest for personal liberation, inextricably linked to the liberation of the most humble of this world, guide us to be the best we could be. We were also called on to be comforted by Mother Teresa’s consolation that we do not necessarily need to do great things, but we do need to do all things with great love.
In India 50% of children aged 6-18 do not have the opportunity go to school and of the 32 million children that begin school each year, less than half will complete the compulsory 8 years of education. This clearly should not be. But Mother Teresa reminded us that there is also much that needs changing in our own cultures: ‘Calcutta can be found all over the world if only we have eyes too see!’
We gathered at a time of great optimism in our church with Pope Francis calling for urgent recovery of our commitment to be heralds of ‘good news’ for the poor and marginalised of our troubled and unequal world. In the words of Pope Francis, a Church ‘of’ and ‘for’ the poor; a Church which recognizes the work of the Divine and the presence of God in all faiths; a generous and inclusive Church that strives ceaselessly to tell the poor and excluded that God loves them.
The Church we serve promotes service and compassionate engagement with the challenges of our world as indispensable to the way we worship a loving and expansive God.
The charism we share demands that we teach our young to ask deep questions of their world, not simply inhabit it. The education we offer must challenge versions of the world that define success solely in terms of money, accumulation of things and over-emphasis on status and security. It must equip young people to critique their culture and its version of the good, the well lived, the important and the meaningful life.
Our charism entreats us to form students to know that the liberty and freedom that they will hopefully enjoy is not merely a license to do whatever they want; but rather, it is the freedom to do what they ought to do for the making of a more just and equitable world.
Ours is a charism that makes bold claims about the way that human beings should engage in our world. It calls us to speak for the voiceless and those who are excluded, about justice, about the way in which we are expected to relate to one another, about the dignity of every human life and about liberation for the disenfranchised.
Wayne Tinsey called on the Congress to proclaim and celebrate our new identity as global partners; one community in mission united by a common vision, purpose and heritage; renewed in our belief that education is the vehicle of liberation for all.
This week the Year 12 Entertainment students have been involved in a two day incursion in the incredible new TAS building at Waverley. The students worked in three teams to construct a theatrical door per group. The Drama Department will be able to use these doors in the future for class and production purposes.
This is the first time the Drama/Entertainment Department have collaborated with the TAS Department and I’m sure it won’t be the last. Mr Matthew Barr taught the students in a methodical, positive and well-informed way. Each boy had to demonstrate competency by operating different power tools. They used a drop saw, cordless drill, electric sander, domino, tri-square and chisel, to name a few. They have learnt to read plans and how to turn measurements from a 1-10 scale drawing and transfer that to the actual size of the theatrical door being made, which in this case, was 10 times larger than the size of the prototype.
It is great that the students can learn how to use power tools in a workshop environment and actually build real staging elements that will be used in the future. I’m hoping that the new cohort of Entertainment students in Year 11 2017 get to experience a similar workshop where they will build theatrical windows. Lots to look forward to!
I asked the students to give me some feedback about their experience of the incursion and I’ve included their quotes below:
“I think that Entertainment is a great course, it enables us to learn through practical experience. It is good to learn how to use Industrial tools that you wouldn’t get to use in everyday life.” John Hall
“We are learning stuff outside the classroom that we can put to good use in the real world.” Luke Murry
“This course has allowed us to get involved in not just technical elements such as vision, audio and lighting, but also the mechanist side of Staging, constructing set pieces using wood, tools etc.” James Rusconi
“Helps me further my knowledge in the use of power tools.” Jack Harris-Gregory
“This course has helped me to build confidence in using power tools in the workshop.” Jordan Perdia
“This course has given me different perspectives on how I can use my skills outside of the workshop. If I am employed backstage in the theatre and I need to fix a prop or set piece, I would feel confident doing so.” George Meli
“With the Entertainment Industry growing exponentially, it is a great asset to have the skills to work in a workshop environment when employed or at home.” Sam Walsh
I finish with a big thank-you to the TAS Department for giving up their wonderful workshop space to accommodate the Entertainment workshop. I’d also like to thank Mr Barr who gave up his time to teach the Course. It was fantastic. Even I had a go at using a drop saw and I have to admit, it was thrilling.
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.
Watch our video
