Applications are now open for existing or future Indigenous students to apply for a GO Foundation Scholarship. You can download the application form here. Please return your application to the Registrar: registrar@waverely.nsw.edu.au
The GO Foundation was founded by Sydney Swans Legends, Adam Goodes and Michael O’Loughlin. As proud Aboriginal men, their names are synonymous with integrity, equality and opportunity.
Although Australia is a land of abundant wealth, many Indigenous Australians face a lack of opportunity and access. The GO Foundation provides 100% discrete scholarships to Indigenous students from kindergarten through to university, in public and independent schools, to students who live with family, in community and on country.
The GO Foundation chooses students based on a number of criteria:
You can find out more about the partnership between GO Foundation and Waverley College here.
“Solar Buddies are solar-powered flashlights that get charged by the sun during the day. They are designed for families and people that live in remote areas where electricity is not always certain. An example of the Solar Buddies coming in handy was on our Timor-Leste Immersion on the second night of our home stay in Realico Craic Village. The power went out and after explaining to the families how to use the Solar Buddies they were able to cook dinner and do other chores under a bright light.” – Eddie Williamson (O’Connor student).
During Term 2, O’Connor house students raised money and built 40 Solar Buddies to help fight energy poverty in developing countries. These lights then travelled to Timor Leste with the Immersion group during the winter school holiday break. As a thank you to the homestay families, students gifted the Solar Buddies to help bring light to their everyday lives.
“This was an amazing project where Waverley College students were able to see the benefits of helping others in countries less fortunate than their own. It was fantastic for the students to witness and be involved in a school Social Justice project reaching the hands of families in need.” Ms Alborough (Timor-Leste Immersion Teacher).
Mr Brennan spoke with students in Years 7-12 during the academic awards assembly on Thursday 1st August about the importance of sleep hygiene. Further to this, Dr Prue Salter, an expert on study skills has the following to say about this crucial topic:
STUDY SKILLS TIP FOR AUGUST: THE IMPORTANCE OF QUALITY SLEEP FOR STUDENTS
Sleep is crucial not just for physical and mental wellbeing, but for the consolidation of learning, and to ensure you perform in all your endeavours in peak condition. The absolute last resort should be to sacrifice sleep time in order to get things done.
How much sleep is right for you? This is tricky as everyone is different. Some lucky people need only 6 hours a night, most people need about 8 hours and some people need 10 hours!
Two ways to tell if you are getting enough sleep:
How quickly do you fall asleep at night? If you fall asleep instantly that can be a sign you are not getting enough sleep, it should take 10-15 minutes to fall asleep.
How do you feel when you wake up in the morning? If you feel tired and sluggish then that can also be a sign that you need to get to bed earlier.
IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF YOUR SLEEP:
Learn more about lifestyle habits of successful students at www.studyskillshandbook.com.au.
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Waverley College is pleased to offer various payment options to our parents.
For parents looking for alternative payment arrangements (monthly, fortnightly or weekly payments over 12 months or longer), we are now referring parents to Edstart (www.edstart.com.au). Edstart offers an easy, flexible and low-cost way for you to pay for your child’s education over a time frame that suits your family budget.
With Edstart, you can fund your tuition fees, additional charges such as extra-curricular activities, camps and excursions, as well as technology levies and amounts in arrears.
Apply online at www.edstart.com.au
The simple three-step process: Calculate => Select Payment => Application can be completed within minutes.
Once approved, Edstart will pay the school on the three instalment due dates and you will make regular monthly, fortnightly or weekly payments to Edstart.
Please note, in providing information about Edstart, we do not provide any recommendations, brokering or advice services. We do not receive referral fees, commissions or other remuneration from Edstart.
If you have any queries, please contact Edstart on 1300 139 445 or chat with their team at contact@edstart.com.au
In April 2020, we will be going on an Educational Food Technology Gastronomy Tour to Vietnam.
This tour will offer our students an exciting Educational Tour of Vietnam, with a focus on food and gastronomy. The tour has been designed to enrich the students learning through observation of traditional Vietnamese food preparation and cooking techniques and participation in cooking demonstrations and lessons, led by knowledgeable local chefs.
As well as learning about authentic cuisine, the students will discover stunning and varied landscapes and become fully immersed in Vietnamese culture and history. The boys will be exploring the main highlights of key culinary and historical destinations of Hanoi, Hoi An and Ho Chi Minh, as well as uncovering hidden gems of the country.
We have partnered up with the experienced Haka Educational Tours. We used Haka also for our Stem Educational tour to the USA earlier this year. They will provide us with a local guide throughout our tour that will ensure that we are all safe and have lots of fun.
As an Edmund Rice school, we provide students with opportunities to help those less fortunate and throughout the tour we have a number of social justice activities planned for the students, providing a positive contribution to the people and places of Vietnam.
Please contact Davina O’Hara for further information on dohara@waverley.nsw.edu.au.
Thank you for your generosity and support in getting behind the Beanies for Brain Cancer Initiative. We raised a total of $9,800 including $3,000 selling beanies at Queens Park, $2,000 at the Senior Campus, $4,300 at the Junior School and $500 at the BBQ last week – what an incredible achievement! A special mention to the gentlemen in the 1st XV and 2nd XV who wore the beanies onto the playing field in support of the cause.
One of the star rugby players at Waterford, Digger Callander, who tragically lost his father to Brain Cancer led the 1st XV out onto the playing field. Digger was also celebrated in the centre of the “Custard Pie” at the end of the match and was lifted onto the shoulders of the playing group. A moment young Digger will never forget!
On Friday 16 August, the Waverley College Rugby Supporters Club will be holding the annual Presentation Night. This year the event for families from Years 7-12, will be held at Eastern Suburbs Rugby Union Club (22A O’Sullivan Road, Bellevue Hill).
This will be a great opportunity for players and parents to gather to celebrate the 2019 season, as we recognise the outstanding player performances and say farewell to our departing Year 12 students.
Tickets are $30 for adults and $20 for students (price includes a meal as well as a “Lucky Door Prize”). Drinks can be purchased at the bar at club prices.
Tickets can be purchased at www.trybooking.com/528131
PLEASE NOTE: Tickets MUST be purchased by 12th August (for catering purposes). No tickets will be sold at the door.
This weekend Waverley College farewells rugby players from the Class of 2019 who will be running out in the Blue & Gold uniform for the final time. We thank them and their families for their contributions to Waverley College rugby and wish them well for the future, on and off the field.
Aisea Aholelei, Henry Bartlett, Aydin Caltagirone-Pantano, Daniel Cobbe, Reece Cohen, Saxon Cook, Max Curry, Max D’Agostino Benjamin Daley, Jake Daley, Connor Davies, Cameron Dawson, Anthony D’Ettorre, Angelo Di Bartolo, Billy Elmes, William Fagan, Oliver Ferguson, Samuel Frazer, Michael Gatto, Michael Gerolimos, Lachlan Gray, Chase Hardaker, Charley Howell, Lathan Hutchinson-Walters, Thomas Jaeger, Alistair Jensen, Max Johnson, Harry Joll, Ryan Jones, Alexander Kapos, Will Kearney, Patrick Kite, Heath Lawther, Theodore Liong, James Luland, Tyesen Markham, Mackenzie Martin, Levi Milford, Marco Moretti, Jesse Muscat, Ridley Owens, Spencer Perdia, Oliver Pether, Caillan Porter, Alexander Rice, Patrick Roberts, Jamie Rutkowski, Logan Ryan, Hamzah Sadi, Ty Sigsworth, Ryan Smith, Grayson Thomas, Carl Torrisi, Finbar Warren, Max Weale, Moby Westwood, Harvey Williams, Luca Winch, Nathanial Yarrow, Jack Zanin
Undefeated Teams
This weekend we have a number of teams who are looking to go through the season as CAS Undefeated. We wish the following teams the best of luck as they strive for premiership glory this Saturday against Trinity Grammar School:
2nd XV & Coaches – Mr Boumelhem & Mr Newbury
3rd XV & Coaches – Mr Frost, Mr S Donaldson & Mr Smith
4th XV & Coaches – Ms Walsh & Mr Bryant
16As & Coaches – Mr Horrock & Mr Foley
15As & Coaches – Mr Drew-Morris & Mr B Donaldson
15Bs & Coaches – Mr Clifton & Mr Bell
14Cs & Coaches – Mr Hodge
13As & Coaches – Mr O’Donnell & Mr Cooper
13Bs & Coaches – Mr Soden
13Cs & Coaches – Miss Downey
NSW Waratahs – U15 & U16 Gen Blue Squads
Congratulations to the large number of Waverley College players in the 15s & 16s age groups who the NSW Waratahs Gen Blue Squads for the age groups. Congratulations to the following students:
U15s
AJ Preketes
Baxter Senior
Tom Martin
TJ Speedy Coe
Dane Towns (Shadow)
U16s
Fritz Jahnke-Tavana
Davvy Moale
Reeve Smith
Clem Halaholo
Matt Chapman
Ethan King
Klayton Thorn
Ethan Flanagan
Aaron Dimovitch (Shadow)
Good luck to all the students on the final weekend of rugby!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
The new Tennis Court development at lower rec is continuing at apace and the foundations for the new sports surface has been constructed. Retaining walls are up and the new disabled ramp is in place. We are on schedule to open the new space from early September this year.
The extension of the backcourts on the existing courts has been completed and newly upgraded fencing has been installed. These courts were re-opened to students at the start of term 3.
“On the 14th of July, I had the privilege along with 14 students and 3 teachers, in travelling on a trip of a lifetime to Timor Leste. We engaged in a homestay with families from Ralico Craic Village and connected with the local community through dinners, playing soccer and rugby with the younger kids. We also visited local fish farms and coffee plantations. We had the privilege of visiting many cemeteries and museums, where we learnt about Australia’s relationship with Timor. My favourite parts of the trip was getting to meet many great people and engaging in such a unique culture.”- Charlie Jaeger (Y10)
“For everyone this trip was a real eye-opener, giving us the opportunity to experience a new way of life, to gain a deeper understanding of how everyday life functions in a less developed and less fortunate country. We all realised how lucky we are in Australia. During our time we built different relationships with the Timorese people, our tour guides but most importantly, we built strong relationships within the group of boys. The biggest thing I took out of this immersion is to appreciate the simple things in life and to have a good time you need only to surround yourself with good people.” – Sam Connolly (Y10)
“Our Timorese guides presented the teachers and boys with a wide range of knowledge about their country, its history and Australia’s involvement. It was rewarding knowing that we were able to give back through the small gifts of solar buddies (used to help the communities during blackouts), toothbrushes for the Sisters to present to children in need and sports balls for the kids. Overall it was an excellent and eye-opening trip that any boy eligible next year should definitely consider going on.” – Leo Shanahan (Y11)
Reminder: Immersions Information Night will be held on Tuesday 20th August in the PAC for 2020 opportunities (Timor Leste, Red Earth and Kenya).
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Monday 5th August saw our Year 5 and 6 students spending some valuable time with their Heads of House at Queens Park, whilst our Junior School staff undertook some valuable Professional Development.
Games and a variety of fun activities helped them to learn more about their Houses and further developed their relationships within the Year groups.
A special thanks to our Heads of House and other staff who facilitated these activities. A great time was had by all.
In a concerning reminder for parents, Federal Police say they’ve saved 26 children from the grips of online predators in the past 12 months in Australia. This equates to roughly two every month being rescued by The Australian Centre for Counter Child Exploitation.
Since the centre was set up by the Australian Federal Police last July, almost 4,000 reports of online sexual exploitation of children were made to the federal police. The task force has found children are being groomed to create this inappropriate content themselves. They are coerced into producing this material by online predators and then this is used to blackmail them into continuing to make more.
The AFP says the material it is seeing is becoming increasingly violent, and the children being exploited are getting younger.
Police are urging parents to monitor their children’s online activity.
Tips for parents on how your sons can be safer online:
I will be speaking to the boys at a future assembly about the importance of this issue.
For Term 3, the New South Wales Cancer Council is running a campaign promoting their Healthy Lunch Box website healthylunchbox.com.au to help inspire and assist parents to keep packing healthy lunch boxes throughout the year.
On the website, parents will find snack ideas, sandwich alternatives, recipes, tips and easy healthy swaps for those common lunch box items that are not the best for our kids. Parents can also get their kids involved in choosing lunch box foods they will actually eat and enjoy using the interactive Healthy Lunch Box Builder.
Some of the Term 3 seasons recipes which may interest our boys include:
Happy healthy eating!
As we move into the second half of the year it is important the boys reflect on their achievements to date and look at embracing the exciting challenges and opportunities Semester 2 holds.
At the end of Term 2, I spoke to the boys about their school reports and the importance of using this feedback to set goals to enhance their learning. It is evident that students tend to achieve more when they set their own goals as it requires them to take action. Mastering a task increases students self-esteem and encourages them to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, especially when they have to overcome issues or failure.
I encourage you to talk to your boys about the goals they are setting for themselves whether these be social, academic, spiritual or on the sporting field and what strategies they are putting in place to achieve them.
I would also like to acknowledge Australia’s First Saint, St Mary MacKillop with a prayer as we celebrate her Feast Day.
Prayer for St Mary MacKillop
Wednesday, 8th August, is the Feast Day of Mary MacKillop, who we now celebrate as Australia’s First Saint: St Mary of the Cross. Mary MacKillop loved God and always listened to what God was saying to her throughout the events in her life. She always asked God for help for herself, her family and friends and for the poor.
Response: St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
We pray for our country Australia, that all people will be treated fairly:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
For people who can’t find work and people who are too poor to pay their bills:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
For people who are sad and lonely:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
For people who are sick or dying and for the strength of their families:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
For people who live in families that are unhappy:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
For people who leave their own countries because of war and violence:
St Mary of the Cross: Pray for Us
We ask God who cares for us in every way to listen to our prayers through the help of St Mary of the Cross. We ask this through Christ our Lord
Amen.
Based on “Litany of Mary MacKillop” Christine McGinty RSJ
Last Thursday, 1 August the Junior School students participated in its annual Blitz Day Competition. The day is the culmination of the Winter season and gives the boys an opportunity to finish the season with a tough House competition against their fellow classmates. The day started with a little concern about the grounds being open, but ended with a glorious sunny day with perfect conditions for Rugby, Football and AFL.
After three tough games for all students throughout the day, the J. Delaney Trophy for Champions on Blitz Day went to Tevlin/O’Connor.
The following boys were awarded Best on Ground awards after 3,2,1 points were given for each game.
Rugby:
Year 5: Harry Jaeger
Year 6: Bryce Wilson
Football:
Year 5: Ash Hourn
Year 6: Gianni Testafredda
AFL: James O’Loughlin
Finally, I would like to thank all the Junior Staff, Ms Buchan and the Year 10 boys who came to assist with refereeing and being involved on the day.
Waverley debaters have had a very busy start to Term 3. They competed in the fifth round of debating against Ascham on Friday 2, August.
Debating Coaching – Learning Hub
The topic for debate was ‚ “That we should ban child actors.” The competition was tough, which saw our Negative team win and unfortunately a loss for our Affirmative team. A few strong points from the opposing team were left unanswered by us and, by a close margin, the adjudicator awarded the debate to Ascham.
Wishing the boys luck as they prepare for Round 6 against SCEGGS Darlinghurst on August 16.
A few months ago my grandparents supported a great organisation called 4Ocean. 4Ocean was set up by 2 surfers to get rid of the rubbish from the ocean and save sea life. My Grandparents supported this cause by buying nearly $3,000 worth of bracelets (each takes about 1/2kg of rubbish out of the ocean) and shared them with each of their 3 Grandkids. I then set up a raffle to raise extra money and awareness for 4Ocean which proved to be a huge success.
Hooper Negus – 5b
Grades 5 & 6 raised an extra $250, and together with my grandparents, have taken nearly 30kgs of plastic rubbish out of the Ocean.
Check it out on their website for more info www.4ocean.com
The Great Book Swap is a fantastic way to celebrate reading locally and raise much-needed funds for remote communities through the Indigenous Literacy Foundation.
Bring in your pre-loved books now!
I am currently collecting donations of your pre-loved books. All donations will be stored until Wednesday 4 September when Waverley will hold their very own Book Swap.
A table of books will be set up in the “Learning Hub” for everyone to browse and purchase a loved book for a gold coin donation, all the while helping children in remote communities of Australia. Bring in your pre-loved books (suitable for children) to swap, and a gold coin, to be able to take home another book to enjoy.
I look forward to your support for such a worthwhile cause.
As part of our Book Week celebrations, Waverley will be hosting a pop-up bookshop on Monday 19 August from 7:45 am until 10:30 am. Come along with your son to the Junior School Learning Hub and view the books on sale.
Each class will be assigned a time during the morning to come and shop for books, and the shop will be open before school for the boys and their families.
Prices range from $5 to $30 and credit card payments will be accepted from 7:45 am until 8:35 am. Boys will be able to pay with cash only during the school day.
Come and join us for a morning of book shopping!
You are all invited to attend the Sunday evening Mass at Mary Immaculate Church on Sunday 18th August. Mass begins at 5:00pm and this will be followed by a light dinner in the Parish Hall afterwards, with the evening concluding at approximately 7:00pm.
This will be a good chance for you to meet fellow parishioners and our parish priest, Fr Bernie Thomas.
There is no need to RSVP, but rather just turn up and enjoy the evening.
Could I ask that every item of clothing, lunch boxes and drink containers be clearly marked with your son’s name. Property that is misplaced or lost can then be returned to them. Lost property is kept at the front office.
The Junior School Library has undergone a huge transformation this year made possible by our new Literacy and Innovation Teacher Mrs. Natasha Zivanovic. We interviewed Natasha to get an insight into the vision behind the new design and an update on how the changes are being received by the students of Waterford.
Mrs Zivanovic – Literacy and Innovation teacher
What is your vision for how the Learning Hub should be used?
The vision was to make this a flexible, fluid and user-friendly space for the boys. A library isn’t about silently reading anymore, it’s about catering to a new generation of learners. I see it more now as a meeting ground for our students where they can collaborate and develop relationships as well as social skills. It must be working because the Learning Hub is full every lunchtime! This is a space not just for formal library lessons it is a hub of all learning, the new center of our school.
Why did you select this furniture?
The aim of our new design was to create an environment which caters to different styles of learning. We wanted furniture that could be flexible and used in a variety of ways by different students. I feel it is very student-directed in here, the boys are making choices based on where they think they will learn best, giving them ownership over their learning. We selected furniture that facilitates all types of learning and is able to be moved into different configurations based on need. There are a variety of desk heights, shapes and an array of seating options. The new furniture has opened up the space, making it a bright and welcoming environment.
What has the feedback been from the boys?
The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The students are constantly coming up with ways of using the furniture that I hadn’t ever imagined. They are regularly experimenting with different styles of seating on offer. I think we all feel this is a fresh start, they have been very open to the changes. The furniture only arrived a few weeks ago but it has already had a huge impact on their engagement, they really want to spend their time here. I think we are all excited to see what we can do with this space in the future.
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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