Dear Parents and Carers,
This week I attended an Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA) meeting. The Association represents 442 independent schools in Australia that vary across faith, age, size and student gender. The group regularly speaks with government, parliamentarians and senators, and to government and non-government agencies and organisations.
I also attended an EREA NSW Principal’s meeting held at St Edward’s Gosford along with principals from St Patrick’s College Strathfield, St Pius X Chatswood, St Dominic’s College Penrith, Edmund Rice College Wollongong, CBC Lewisham, St Edmund’s College Canberra, St Edmund’s College Wahroonga, St Gabriel’s College Castle Hill, St Francis Catholic College Edmondson Park, and the Eastern Flexi Schools Network.
On Monday, I will meet with and support our Jewish Colleagues as they/we commemorate Kristallnacht. Also known as the Night of Broken Glass, was a program against Jews carried out by paramilitary forces and civilians throughout Nazi Germany on 9-10 November 1938. Over 7000 Jewish businesses were damaged or destroyed and 30000 Jewish men were arrested and incarcerated in concentration camps. Historians view Kristallnacht as a prelude to the murder of over six million Jews during the Holocaust. I will be lucky to hear from Dr Edith Eger, therapist, speaker, author and Auschwitz Survivor.
All of these experiences provide an amazing opportunity to learn from others, open dialogue and empathise with them. By sharing the power of story and hearing different perspectives, we can seek improvement in our own programs which will assist us to provide a more positive and safer environment for all where young people can grow, explore and learn.
The College has four major support groups that provide resources, care, communication structures and support to the College and its stakeholders.
On behalf of the College community, I would like to thank and acknowledge two people who will be stepping down from their respective positions after donating a significant amount of time and support to the College community.
Mr Greg Bodkin, has served four years on the College Board and previously as the President of the Parents’ Association. Greg was integral to the merge of the Mothers Club and Parents’ Association in 2014. Greg has been an avid supporter of the College’s extensive curriculum offerings that allows students to have multiple pathway options and opportunities. Greg has also supported improved curriculum and wellbeing program development at the College and has brought a clear focus and expertise on ensuring risk assessment and compliance are at the centre of College decision making. Greg has had 2 boys attend the College, James (2018) and Charles (2014).
Dr Mark Davies OAM, has served on the College Board for the last nine years in the capacity of Vice Chair and Chair. Hallmarks of Mark’s leadership include the support of College’s increased focus on academic pursuits and student wellbeing, the introduction of the College Foundation, the development and implementation of two Strategic Plans, the development of a new Master Building Plan, introduction of co-education Cadets, and support of the College Leadership Team and myself. Mark has had two boys attend the College, Stephen (2018) and Matthew (2010). Mark is an Old Boy himself, along with his father and grandfather.
We thank Greg and Mark for their distinguished service to the College where each have contributed significantly and left the College in a better place. We know Greg and Mark will still support the College from afar and we wish them all the best in their future endeavours.
Wednesday 11 November 2020
6:00pm to 8:30pm
The Annual General Meeting of the Waverley College Parents’ Association will include the election of office bearers for 2021.
All parents and carers are invited to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Waverley College Parent Association held online via Zoom. The link will be shared via SkoolBag next week.
All Executive Committee positions will be declared vacant and elections will be conducted for the following positions:
Any interested parent is encouraged to nominate for any of the above positions. Nominations will be accepted on the night, or interested persons may email Ms Jaimi Walker at jwalker1@waverley.nsw.edu.au.
Please click here to download the meeting agenda. The WCPA Term 4 meeting will follow AGM . This is an opportunity for parents to have a say and hear from the College Principal and other staff.
Next week we say goodbye to our Year 12s who complete their final HSC examinations on Wednesday. On Thursday they will host partners at the formal and on Friday, parents, siblings and grandparents will be attending their graduation. I congratulate each of them on achieving this significant milestone in their lives and I hope you will join me in praying for them as they take their next step in their life’s journey. We are grateful for the leadership, role modelling and resilience shown by our 2020 Year 12 cohort across a very challenging year for all. Thank you to our teaching, support staff and parents who supported them so very well.
Year 12 Key dates
Thursday 12 November – Year 12 Formal, Royal Randwick Racecourse ATC
Friday 13 November – Year 12 Graduation, Sydney Cricket Ground
Friday 18 December – HSC Results and ATARs released
Saturday 19 December – Change preferences for Round 2 offers
Wednesday 23 December – Year 12 Offers Released
Thursday 11 February 2021 – HSC 2020 High Achievers Assembly
Farewell to Mrs Kaitlyn Downey, iLeader and PDHPE teacher who is going on maternity leave this Friday. We wish her the best of health and happiness.
Congratulations to Ms Elizabeth Watson who has been seconded for a further 12 months as the EREA Director of Learning. We wish her the very best in this role working with EREA schools across the nation.
As a result of this, I have asked the following staff to continue in their respective acting roles for 2021:
Ms Gabrielle Smith – Deputy Principal Teaching & Learning
Ms Gabrielle Bransby – Director of the Junior School
Ms Charlotte Stephens – Assistant Director of Curriculum Junior School.
Last week we celebrated World Teachers’ Day at the College and I thank and congratulate our 190 teachers and support staff who work hard at Waverley.
When I think back on my own life, I know how much I owe to my teachers. There were my first teachers, my parents, Jenny and Graham who emigrated from Scotland. There was my brilliant Year 4 teacher, Mr Morrison, who started my love of History with his teaching of the exploits of a Carthaginian general named Hannibal, who crossed the Alps and used African elephants in the battle against the Roman Empire. And there were the standout teachers of my high school years Mr Laurie Fahy – Mathematics, Mr Tony Miller – English, and both Mr Michael East and Mr Peter Switzer who taught me Economics. Interestingly, these teachers were all old boys of Waverley College but taught me at another school.
I have also been fortunate to have taught with some outstanding teachers at schools throughout Victoria, Queensland and NSW.
These people all shared a few specific qualities. They were passionate about their curriculum areas, they inspired and encouraged me to want to learn more, and I felt like they cared about me.
There is a marvellous line in Robert Bolt’s play, ‘A Man for All Seasons’ when Thomas More asks Richard Rich, “why not be a teacher – you’d be a fine teacher, perhaps a great one?” Rich replies, “And if I was, who would know it?” to which More responds, “You, your pupils, your friends, God – not a bad public that.”
Tomorrow, Green House are running the best foot forward initiative that aims to raise $10,000 for the education of disadvantaged women in developing world countries by selling pink shoe laces for $10 each. For every dollar raised donors will be quadrupling the amount, meaning that a total of $40,000 can be donated to those in need, having a huge impact. These laces can be purchased from the Wellbeing Centre or from the College prefects that will be selling them during wellbeing and lunch. All Houses are being encouraged to support this wonderful initiative.
O’Connor House and Sustainability Group took part in making Solar Buddy lights to send away to children living in countries with Energy Poverty. By making these solar-powered lights and supporting the Solar Buddy Charity, our students have helped 50 children to have access to sustainable, safe lighting which can be used to improve their ability to study after dark.
The Paddock to Plate Junior incursion enables students from year 6 to be introduced to the Senior campus Food technology and Agricultural areas of study. It encourages their young minds to learn about sustainability and positive environmental impacts that a Paddock to Plate or Farm to Table approach can have in their lives and the local communities. Students learn about sustainability, vermicomposting, circular approaches to agricultural practices and alternative methods of farming.
Paddock to Plate
Paddock to Plate
As the football finals come to an end and the spring racing carnival begins, the wellbeing team at the College strategically used this time on the sporting calendar to educate the boys about the growing presence of betting agencies flooding the market and advertising space, enticing Australians to fork out money on gambling.
Australians are the biggest gamblers per capita in the world, spending on average over $1,300 annually on gambling. This figure is increasing each year, fuelled by a 30% growth rate in sports betting, which is particularly attractive to sports-loving adolescents.
In a recent study, three-quarters of children could name a sports betting agency whilst one-quarter could name four or more. That number exceeds the number of alcohol brands named by children, brands that have been around far longer than betting agencies. I spoke at an assembly last week where a Year 8 boy noted that bookmakers had paid out a particular player for the Clive Churchill Medal at half time during the NRL Grand Final. I asked myself, “why is a thirteen-year-old being made aware of this information?”
Betting is normalized in Australian society with events such as the Melbourne Cup and the encouragement of playing two-up on ANZAC Day. This together with the celebrity-led stream of betting advertisements, often during the game, makes our children more likely to be influenced to take up gambling.
The College conducted an IT audit during Week four and noted that 24 students had attempted to access betting sites during the first four periods of the day. Anyone who suggests that this problem does not affect our community is wrong. All boys who were noted attempting to access these sites were provided with counselling from their Heads of House.
During Week 3, mentors were given discussion starters to use with their wellbeing groups around gambling, its normalisation, and its social and economic consequences. At the following House Assembly, boys looked deeper at strategies to avoid crafty advertising tips and tricks to entice young gamblers. Importantly, strategies were also provided should they or one of their friends fall victim to this addiction.
Developing our student’s media literacy enables them to be savvy consumers and pick apart the tricks and tactics used by betting agencies to encourage gambling. Like all wellbeing issues, we aim to provide the boys with the facts, develop their decision-making skills, thus allowing them to make informed decisions about their own health and wellbeing.
It’s is hoped that this article will encourage parents to extend the narrative at home sharing their own stories of friends, acquaintances, and family members who may have had a problem with gambling.
Importantly there is hope as there is professional help available in terms of counselling and gambling support groups.
For further information, please follow the link to healthdirect.gov.au.
The College would like to extend an invitation to view our Presentation Day events on the 2nd December to help us celebrate our successes in 2020 as a College Community. Due to COVID restrictions, this will be a streamed event for parents at the below link.
Link: https://iframe.dacast.com/b/53683/c/568913
Password: pres20
Presentation Day 2020
Presentation Day is a compulsory event for all students to attend, and attendance rolls will be taken.
Years 5-6 students must arrive at the Junior School for the normal time in their academic uniform (shirt and tie). They will be escorted up to the Senior School for the Presentation. Following the presentation, they will be escorted back to the Junior school for a normal School day.
Years 7-8 students must arrive at school for the normal time wearing the full academic uniform (tie and blazer). Following the presentation, they will be dismissed for the holidays.
Years 9-11 students must arrive at school from 10:30am onwards wearing the full academic uniform (tie and blazer). Following the presentation, they will be dismissed for the holidays.
The Senior Library will be open between 8:30am and 3:15pm for students in years 7-12 who require supervision.
Matthew Talbot Hostel is a wonderful organisation helping over 35,000 men in Sydney each year in providing accommodation, health, counselling, and employment assistance. Waverley has had a long history of boys helping in its kiosk in Woolloomooloo, and strongly contributing towards making Christmas easier for those in need.
All students are encouraged to bring in toiletry and other essential items in order to be able to provide a Christmas gift hamper for the homeless and marginalised groups that the Matt Talbot Hostel provides assistance for. This will run in Weeks 5, 6 and 7 of Term 4 until the end of November. Tevlin House students have their Social Justice focus area in Homelessness, and will be actively promoting the request to contribute items, and “show our gratitude with deeds, not words”.
Matthew Talbot Appeal 2020
All donations can be brought into daily Mentor Groups or to the Wellbeing Centre (Senior School), or Junior School Office.
Item list for Waverley Students to Bring in (please note these items must be new) :
• Toiletries, including small toothbrush and toothpaste packs, shaving foam and razors, deodorant, small shampoo.
• Keyring torches and caps
• Men’s underwear, handkerchiefs and socks
• Packets of playing cards and puzzle books
• Inexpensive wallets
• Pens and small writing packs.
Many thanks for your support of this great appeal.
It is an honour, as 1st Tennis Captain, to congratulate the boys who participated in this week’s game against Cranbrook. Newcomer to Waverley and the first’s, Roger Sweeney, won his singles match 6-4 against a strong, vigorous opponent. Charlie Farrington has also claimed victory in his win winning 6-3 in singles and tying in the doubles (3-6, 6-3) with his partner Kai Jones who had a close game losing 4-6 in the singles. Overall the 1st have been victorious in beating Cranbrook 5 sets to 3 – setting a really positive moment to the start of the season.
The 2nd teams have not been as victorious as the 1st’s so far but building their skills and the cohesiveness of the team. Xavier Miconi, Charley Roberts, Jack Preller, and Archie Small are emerging as strong players, but special mention must be made of Charlie Roberts who was closest to victory with only a 3-6 loss.
Some special mentions should also be made of Oscar Madden for winning 6-2 in the fourths, Massimo DiNapoli for winning 6-3 in the fourths as well, and Jo Cumpston winning 6-3 in the 10Bs team.
The week against Trinity has proved that the Waverley 1sts Tennis team is a strong and formidable force. Kai Jones, who has secured his first early win this season winning 6-1, and Roger Sweeney and I for fantastic doubles matches where we won 6-2 and 6-1. Unfortunately, for Charlie Farrington, the day did not finish as we had hoped to lose 6-3 against a strong player. However, with all the scores added up and we were able to claim victory, winning 5 sets to 3; the first win against Trinity in almost four years.
The 2nds team also showed some signs of positive improvement during their games against Trinity. I would like to congratulate Jack Preller for obtaining the first win for the 2nds, winning 6-2. Xavier Miconi also fought strongly against a powerful opponent but was beaten in a tiebreaker 6-7 (7-4) in the tiebreaker.
Some outstanding players who deserve special mention are:
• Ronnie Roth and Jared Garwood winning 6-4 in doubles for the third’s
• Michael Richmond and Cuba Kanankis winning 6-2 in doubles, for the third’s
• Oscar Madden and Massimo DiNapoli winning both their singles and doubles 6-2 in the fourth’s
• Toby Ryan winning in singles and almost winning in doubles with his partner Jonty Booy 5-7 in the fourth’s
• Jo Cumpston and Theo both playing tight matches with equal matching scores of 4-6 for the 10A’s and 10B’s team singles
• Oscar Wilson, Harry Papworth, and Oscar Danta stepping up and playing at least 2 games due to absent players.
I would like to thank the parents of Waverley College for ensuring a smooth start to the term, as without their commitment we could not have been so successful.
I would also like to encourage students and parents to continue engaging so positively with the COVID guidelines and protocols.
It is wonderful to be able to share the diverse range of academic experiences the boys are participating in throughout Term 4. From engaging with a variety of information sources to learn about the festival Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), celebrating the achievements of our Year 12 Marine Studies students, and gaining a greater understanding of what our Year 12 English Studies students are working towards.
The Library and the Languages Department worked in collaboration to bring alive the annual festival known as Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). These information sessions took place in the College library.
This Hispanic festival has its origins in Mexico and coincides with the Roman Catholic celebration of All Saints Day on the 1st of November.
Students Celebrate the Day of the Dead Festival
Each Year 8 class participated in targeted research and literacy activities to build skills in selecting, summarising, and recording information from a range of written texts. Students had the opportunity to learn about a variety of information sources, such as Clickview educational videos, read through Britannica articles, and review techniques for recording their information for inclusion in a Bibliography for future research tasks.
For the fourth year in a row, Waverley College has successfully worked with Dive Centre Bondi to teach students how to scuba dive and gain their PADI Open Water Diver certification. Since the beginning of the school’s marine studies courses, it has grown from just nine students to over 50. Waverley College Teacher and PADI Master Instructor, Kyte Gawman, believes the growth of the course is “due in no small part to the chance to go scuba diving and get their (the students) PADI Open Water license”.
With the help of Dive Centre Bondi and PADI Instructors Laurent and Pia, Waverley College was recently able to successfully certify 13 students through the program. Students completed their confined water dives in Waverley College’s swimming pool, while the open water dives were conducted at Camp Cove and Gordons Bay. During their open water dives, students were excited to spot scorpionfish, cuttlefish, stingrays, dusky flatheads, blue groupers, and many more incredible marine animals underwater.
PADI Open Water Diver certification
“There are myriad reasons for teaching students to scuba dive: it makes learning concepts real, relevant, and more engaging; and when students are engaged they learn more. It also improves attendance and reduces behaviour problems because students are more motivated to turn up to school and participate” said Kyte.
Congratulations to our 13 new PADI Open Water Divers – Evan Athanassiou, Adar Barhaim, Fergus Braham, Kai Bruce-James, Duke Bushby, Joel Caltagirone-Pantano, Billy Deutsch, William Holben, Cass Martin-Newbould, Tobias North, Jude Sedley, Darcy Sullivan, and Klayton Thorn and congratulation to Daniel Davis, Jackson Green and Hugo Sewell on renewing their training.
English Studies is an HSC vocational subject whereby the students are involved in learning through a series of practicable activities. The texts that they work with, create and the skills they acquire, can be used in other subjects and for their entry into the world outside of school and academia. This term the students have started the HSC course with the Common Module – Text and Human Experiences. This unit focuses on deepening students’ understanding of how texts represent individual and collective human experience. This can include examining how texts represent human qualities and emotions associated with or arising from human experiences.
Year 12 students in English Studies understanding how texts represent individual and collective human experience
As a lead in activity to the main text associated with this unit – Kenneth Slessor’s Poetry, the students were to take prior learning in relation to the rubric and how/ human experience can be represented and expressed. They then participated in an activity related to their interest in music and popular culture. The activity required the students to find words that represent human emotion and experience, and then find a song that represents that emotion or experience. They were not limited to one word to allow them to explore slightly more complex emotions and experiences. They were to then summarise what the song was about and find language forms and features associated with lyrics from the song that represents that Human Experience or Emotion.
Year 12 students in English Studies understanding how texts represent individual and collective human experience
They were encouraged to go further and work with their teachers to describe what Language devices were being used e.g. Alliteration, Simile, and Metaphor. They then discussed their chosen song with the class and noted if there were more emotions and human experiences that could be associated with that song or their chosen lyric. The learning outcome from these activities is to have the students thinking and working in a format that is related to Poetry…Having previously worked with and looked at Sonnets ( translated from Italian as Little Song) and a form that is the basis for the modern song, this would prepare students to be thinking and developing knowledge in the set Poetry Text, and therefore scaffolds them into the learning of the main text.
The boys took the opportunity of choice and enjoyed the opportunity to review prior learning through texts of interest and relating to the world of popular culture. This is an example of creating learning to engage the boys and how English Studies can be impactful to student learning and growth with purpose and choice in the learning activities, which has been going on with these Boys throughout 2020.
A friendly reminder that from day 1 of Term 1, 2021, all students will need to be in the new academic and PE uniform. The on-field co-curricular uniform is only compulsory for new Year 5 and 7 families. More information on co-curricular uniforms will be provided in the coming weeks.
Do you have old Waverley uniforms hanging around at home? The College is rehoming and recycling your unwanted Junior and Senior School uniforms – and we’re on the lookout for as many of them as possible.
Good quality items are being sent to communities like Timor-Leste and Fiji, so they can be used by schools in need. Items that are no longer wearable can also be reused, but we’re handing them over to businesses that will benefit from them instead – like cleaning companies.
We’d be very grateful if members of our College community could return their old uniforms to the second-hand clothing pool by Monday, 9 December. We will still be accepting donations next year but donating by 9 December will greatly assist volunteers to sort and label items correctly prior to being sent communities overseas.
Instead of binning your Waverley-branded items or leaving them with charity shops, please:
The second-hand clothing pool is open from:
Every Thursday, from Thursday 29, October (12pm-2:30pm)
Everyone is welcome. Our clearance sale has plenty of items to see junior and senior boys through Term 4, and we’re asking for a gold coin donation in exchange for as many items as you need. Senior School students can come along without their parents/carers. The sale includes:
Additional opening hours will be confirmed. For stock enquiries, please contact the Parents’ Association at passociation@waverley.nsw.edu.
For an overview of the new uniform and transition dates, please click here
For the Uniform Shop, prices, and bookings, please click the following:
https://waverley.nsw.edu.au/
https://www.noone.com.au/
With Cadets in full swing again, each Company is set with different tasks from the Training Program from week to week, in preparation for AFX 2021.
This term, we are focusing on personnel accountability and respectful behaviour. These fundamental components are crucial to planning an effective and engaging AFX. The Unit has been reminded of the importance of respect – for the Parade Ground, for their Uniform, and for their fellow cadets – and are working on standards of dress and bearing throughout this term. Accurate roll calling is an important responsibility for our Platoon Sergeants to master, and to ensure we get into good habits before camp, the rolls will now be taken at the beginning and the end of Cadets each week.
B Company has now completed their swim testing, ensuring proficiency in the event of any water activities on camp. A fun exercise in itself, the cadets swim 25m in their cadet uniform before treading water for 2 mins – it’s always easy to pick the water polo players! A and C Companies will have their turn over the coming weeks.
A reminder to all parents that if your son is away from part or all Cadets, for any reason, please complete a Leave Application Form on the Skoolbag App or send an email to the Commanding Officer.
SGT Pizzol showing how it’s done
We have had such a productive and busy start to Term 4 already. The boys are back training and competing in our summer sports competition, learning about the importance of Cybersafety and participating in our annual Walkathon. It has been absolutely amazing to watch our boys, even during such a tough year, commit to raising much-needed funds for the most vulnerable in our society.
The boys have been so dedicated to make a difference and show our community the importance of reaching out and helping those in need. I am so proud of each and every one of them and we thank you all for your support. I particularly want to say a big thank you to Mr Anthony Gill for organising and running such an amazing Walkathon yesterday. The day was filled with high energy and excitement. After such an uncertain and turbulent year it was exactly what everyone needed.
On Thursday, 26 November, we will be farewelling our Year 6 students as they end their primary school journey with us at the Junior School and get ready to enter their next stage at Waverley College. This will be held in our school chapel at the senior school at 11 am. Due to COVID restrictions, unfortunately, parents won’t be able to attend. However, we will be live streaming the event and we will send details out closer to the date. After the farewell at the chapel, the boys will have a bbq lunch and enjoy activities for the afternoon at the senior school including using the pool.
In the last week of school, we have also organised a fun day of bowling at Manhattan Superbowl. The boys will get to play 2 games of bowling, dance, eat and enjoy their time as a Year 6 cohort. A letter will come out next week in regards to details.
Last week Waverley celebrated Cybersafety Week. Yasmin London from ySafe presented across both campuses. Year 5 and Year 6 learnt important strategies on ‘How to make SMART choices when navigating the Cyber World.’
CyberSafety Week
We believe educating our boys on Cybersafety is paramount in the current climate we live in.
“Block, report, and speak up if you are bullied online.” Sonny Taylor, 5 Red
“Don’t reply to a strangers text online.” Xavier Cask, 5 Blue
“Give your brain a break from your screen at least 30 minutes before bedtime.” Jensen Mears, 6 White
“I learnt not to give the bullies a reaction online when they do send something mean and to say something nice back to confuse the bully.” Alexander Tarasov, 6 Blue
Thank you to all those that were able to join us for our online Cybersafety Webinar last Wednesday night. It certainly raised some important issues and highlighted some challenges when working with your son on Gaming and ScreenTime.
A number of parents have asked if the session had been recorded, unfortunately, this is not something we are able to do, however, most of the content covered by the session can be found on the Waverley CyberSafety Hub which Yasmin referred to last week. The link for the hub is: https://waverley.cybersafetyhub.com.au/
On the hub, you will also find information regarding the FamilyZone software that can be installed on your son’s device to help you manage internet access at home. If you would like us to help you get this setup please email the Waverley IT Team on: iassist@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We believe that working together with you on your son’s online journey is a top priority.
For those who know of our Junior School Annual Walkathon, this year has been the most challenging we have faced. We were worried that the event would have to be canceled owing to the current health precautions but with the knowledge that the charities we support are still in need of our financial support, we had to try our best to go ahead with the Walkathon. These charities have already suffered a reduction in support from the community. So today, we held our Walkathon in a modified and Covid-safe format with energetic and enthusiastic boys willing to do something positive for those less fortunate.
2020 Annual Walkathon
For the first time, we have had to hold this event without the wonderful community support of parent volunteers manning checkpoints along the route around Centennial Park. No parent volunteers were permitted to be involved as we had to adhere to school and Covid-safe protocols. Instead, we were fortunate to have the new student leaders of the College encourage and guide the Junior boys around the course by acting as marshals. We would like to thank these boys for their time today and hope that this experience helped to establish a connection with the younger boys.
Owing to the restrictions of Covid19, the Walkathon was moved from Centennial Park to a smaller circuit around the playing fields of Queens Park. This did not curb the enthusiasm of the boys though and they enjoyed a beautiful day rotating between doing laps of the school pool, making get-well cards for patients of the Sydney Children’s Hospital, and running around the Queens Park circuit.
2020 Annual Walkathon
In total, 2422km was walked by the boys today. Three of the boys, Tom Burke (5 Red), Charlie Coutts (6 White), and Oliver Eisenhauer (6 Indigo) walked 13km in the 75 minutes but there was one boy, Daniel Morrow (5 Red), who topped the honours by walking 14km. This is a remarkable effort and all 4 boys are to be congratulated for their effort. All the boys may feel some aches and pains from today’s exercise but they have been reminded that with every ache that they have, they are bearing this pain for children who suffer from far more serious ailments.
2020 Annual Walkathon
I would like to congratulate the Junior School community for their wonderful fundraising efforts so far. To date, we have over $48 000.00 promised and funds will continue to be collected until November 20. If you would like to donate to this cause, you are most welcome to log onto the Trybooking page: trybooking.com/BLMLW and follow the instructions. If you don’t have a son in the Junior School please just select the “No class: General donation” option in the ‘Student’s Class’ dropdown box.
On behalf of our charities:
As a further demonstration to the boys of our Edmund Rice ethos, we will also be providing Christmas Hampers to families within our community needing a Spiritual lift this year. If you would like to nominate a family who has had a tough time of it this year, please email the details to me at agill@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Thank you for your support this year.
Next week, November 8th – 15th November, we recognise and celebrate NAIDOC Week. The theme for this year is ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ and recognises that First Nations people have occupied and cared for this continent for over 65,000 years.
The students at the Junior School will be involved in different activities during NAIDOC week that explores the history of NAIDOC week and some important First Nations people. They will also celebrate some of the cultural influences through music and art.
We will also welcome Mrs Fran Grant (Charlie & Lachlan Grant) to the Junior School to talk to the students about her own history and cultural experiences as a First Nations person. We thank Fran for generously giving up her time to help educate our boys.
For more information on NAIDOC week, you can visit the following website: https://www.naidoc.org.au/get-involved/2020-theme
Waverley Junior School Boys will stop what they are doing for an hour, pick up a book and read it, this will support the Australian Reading Hour on Thursday 12 November.
Australia Reads
The Australian Reading Hour intends to encourage our boys to relax, learn, and experience the wonderful world of books. Allowing our boys to read for pleasure at school, sends an important message on the significance of reading.
Did you know?
Inspiring students to engage with Books & Building
There is still time to enter the LEGO competition! The competition closes Thursday 12 November.
Thank you to the boys that have submitted their masterpieces. There are prizes to be won for ‘Outstanding Critical & Creative Thinking,’ and ‘Excellence in Design & Building.’
Lego Competition
When a student says that they have a bad memory, it usually means that actually, they do not encode the information they are trying to remember into their memory in an effective way.
Memory is really a ‘process’ as opposed to a ‘thing’ in your head that you are born with.
Rather than ‘improving your memory’, you want to improve the process of memory creation to ensure memory retrieval goes smoothly! The reason why many students do not retain what they are learning is that the way they study only gets the information as far as their short term memory, and then before long, it is forgotten instead of being encoded into long term memory.
The first stage for students in improving their retention of information is to try and find ways to make what they are learning interesting to themselves, emotional, enjoyable and if they can’t do this then at least create the firm intention to remember the information. It is all about their approach to what they are learning.
The next step in memory creation is the encoding process. To improve in this area, students need to improve:
– Concentration and focus (making notes about what they are learning, studying using techniques that suit their learning style, studying when they are most alert)
– Organisation of material (making brain-friendly notes: lists, highlighting, categories, grouping, graphics)
– Making associations and links between the new material and previously learned material.
The next stage in the memory process is facilitating the storage of memories. Students can improve the way memories are stored by ensuring they break their study blocks up with at least a few minutes break every half hour (giving the brain a chance to encode and file that chunk of content) and chunk down the information to be learnt into manageable chunks. Getting enough sleep is also essential as fundamental memory processes take place during sleep. The other thing that is really important in this stage is repetition and regular review. Each time a review takes place the brain fires all the neurons connected to that memory and the more often that happens the stronger the connections between the neurons and the more intense and powerful the memory that is created.
So in summary, the top three things to improve the process of creating powerful memories are:
To learn more about the brain and memory and advanced memory techniques visit the Brain and Memory unit on www.studyskillshandbook.com.au (click on the ‘For Students’ tab).
Our school’s subscription details are:
Username: forwaverleycollegeonly
Password: 94results
Over the last two weeks, our Student Leadership team have participated in some student formation and planning for the 2020/21 theme and activities.
College Captains
Real Gratitude: Deeds not words is the motto our leadership team has chosen for this year. Servant leadership and the concept of being authentic leaders featured highly in their discussions. Both our Prefects and Summer Co-curricular Captains are an impressive group of young men with many great ideas. I am sure they will be young men of action and have the support of their peers to continue the great leadership efforts of our 2020 leaders whilst starting some exciting new initiatives.
I look forward to working with these fine young men and seeing the impact their efforts will have on the traditions of Waverley.
The new Cricket season has begun with great promise and enthusiasm from Waverley’s cricketers, with positive signs already emerging. It is great to see the trial process and first games underway in such a positive fashion, with boys sharing roles, encouraging each other, and developing great team relationships. This is the goal of our sport, whilst the skill development has been impressive in our early weeks of training, with coaches and boys identifying their strengths and weaknesses in order to take further steps forward.
A new generation of talented Cricketers are emerging, showcasing some fantastic batting already in early matches, including:
The Cricket program for this year aims to give boys great opportunities to develop their games and includes:
Best of luck to all teams this weekend, with Waves to Win!
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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