We are slowly rebuilding stock levels and are pleased to be able to offer lots more items for sale. Email us to check on stock and size availability.
Unfortunately, currently we don’t have any rain jackets in stock.
Email us to check size and stock availability. clothingpool@waverley.nsw.edu.au
If your son has outgrown his uniform, please consider donating it to the Secondhand Clothing Pool. This provides someone else with the opportunity to purchase a secondhand uniform well below the new price, whilst at the same time, raising funds for the College through the Parents’ Association.
The Secondhand Clothing Pool will gladly accept the donation of all clean and wearable current uniform items for resale. There is a $30 ‘buy back scheme’ for the donation of Blazers and All Weather Jackets in excellent condition.
Email us for more information or visit us on Monday mornings or Wednesday afternoons.
At the Senior School campus reception in the blue Secondhand Clothing Pool donation box. (If leaving Blazers and All Weather Jackets, please include name and phone number inside the bag, and we will contact you to arrange ‘buy-back.’)
For this term we will be open both Mondays 8:30-9:30am and Wednesdays 2:30-3:30pm.
For more information on stock availability or to make an appointment, please email the Secondhand Clothing Pool.
E: clothingpool@waverley.nsw.edu.au
P: (02) 9369 0703 — please leave a voicemail, and one of our volunteers will get back to you.
You will find us in the main building on Birrell Street. Enter via the Senior School campus reception, and take the lift to Level 3. The Secondhand Clothing Pool is next door to the Uniform Shop.
Mondays, 8:30am-9:30am and Wednesdays, 2:30-3:30pm.
Camille and Kirsten
Secondhand Clothing Pool Coordinators
E: clothingpool@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This is the blue Secondhand Clothing Pool donation box located in Senior School Reception
Your son’s individual portrait photos have arrived, and will be given to him by his head of House over the next couple of weeks.
If your son does not receive his photo, please can I ask that he speaks with his Head of House about this.
On Tuesday, 3 May, we will be taking our House photos and Year 12 photo. All Year 12 students must wear their blazers for this photo.
The postponed sibling photos will also be taken on this day.
If you have already requested a photo, it will be taken, and you do not need to complete the Google form again.
If you have not requested a photo, and would like to have one taken, please can you complete the Google form below.
>>> Click here to view and complete the Google form.
Please remind your sons before they go to school, that this photo is going to be taken, and to remain behind once their House photo has been taken.
Ms Nikki Smith
EA to Deputy Principal – Student & Staff Wellbeing
E: nsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The past two years of intermittent lockdowns have proven the importance of moving more, sitting less and looking after your posture … especially for kids and teenagers!
As a physiotherapist, I have seen an enormous up-tick in the number of people, including teens, coming into our clinics for neck pain and back pain treatment over the past two years, largely due to working from home in poor postural positions. In fact, it has been so pronounced, that I have named it ‘The posture pandemic.’
Whilst kids have now returned to the classroom, homework will still be done at home (hopefully), and the hard lessons learned from home-schooling can be applied both to the home office and the classroom.
There are a number of factors, but the most common include poor ergonomics (slouched over the kitchen table), distractions from other screens off to the side (phones and TVs), and easy access to the kitchen, which can result in snacking on inflammatory foods. Let’s break each of these down and at the end I will offer some tips to mitigate the impact of them on your spine.
Let’s start with posture and ergonomics. The human body is designed to move regularly. It has only been in the past 100 years (on a human evolution timeline of around 200,000 years) that humans have even had the option to be sedentary. Prior to computers and cars, we were forced to move our bodies for the majority of the day in order to survive. Most of our grandparents grew up in a world where most jobs involved manual labour, walking was the main form of transport, and computers didn’t exist. In short, the transition to extensive periods of sitting is a new phenomenon, and one that the human spine is not tolerating.
School desks are still superior to working from a bed
Whilst working in the classroom is still not ideal for kids’ necks, school desks are still superior to working from a bed, and regular walks between classrooms combined with lunchtime sport, offer some incidental exercise.
Regular walks between classrooms combined with lunchtime sport, offer some incidental exercise
At home, many kids are lying on their bed or slouched in poor chairs to do homework (or when watching TV or playing video games). This is putting enormous amounts of strain through the neck, creating tightness, weak muscles and resulting in pain.
>>> Click here to view more information and six possible solutions.
Caelum Trott
Physiotherapist and Director
Advanz Health
P: (02) 8068 7161
E: caelum@ahsmp.com
A: 922 Anzac Parade Maroubra and Level 1, 213 Bronte Road Waverley
>>> Click here to view the holiday trading hours.
As we approach Holy Week, we turn our focus to the Liturgy of the Sacred Triduum. These holy celebrations lead us into triumphant Easter Sunday joy and provide the very foundation of our Christian faith. Holy week is the most solemn and glorious week in Christianity, the pinnacle of the liturgical year. It is more sacred than Christmas because it commemorates the final week of Our Lord’s life, the very purpose for which Christmas happened. The Sacred Triduum recounts the last three days of Jesus’s life on earth, the events of his Passion and Resurrection, when the Lamb of God laid down his life in atonement for our sins.
Let us not forget that the redemption of the cross begins with the darkness of the tomb. Without the darkness of the tomb, we cannot experience resurrection. The tomb is truly a dark place, lifeless, still and silent. Covered in dried blood, Christ’s body lies motionless, bound in a shroud. After such a brutal, crushing death, hope is far beyond anyone’s grasp. Isn’t this true of the darkness we encounter in our own lives? Visiting those dark places within us can be so frightening, at times terrifying, all the while we emit no hope and see no way out.
But within the tomb, darkness does not prevail, because darkness cannot win. The first chapter of the Gospel of John states an eternal truth: “In God was life, and that life was the light of all humankind.” Light always overcomes darkness and in the tomb, light shines as Christ rises from the dead and destroys death forever.
In our lives today, no matter how bleak our situation or deep the darkness in which we find ourselves, if we dare venture into and fully embrace our darkness, light always comes. Unspeakable joy, because of God’s unbelievable act of love. Let us experience the true redemption of the cross this Easter by recognising that the journey begins in the darkened tomb. May all of our Triduum celebrations be blessed by God, and may we all experience true joy of the Risen Christ.
I encourage you to take your son to at least one of the celebrations over Easter. Sometimes we don’t see the light until further down the journey, and I believe your son will appreciate it in time, whether in a dark moment or perhaps when he becomes a parent himself one day.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with those members of our community who have lost loved ones this year. We will continue to keep you close in our hearts as you grieve.
Thank you to all staff, students and parents for your continued support of the College throughout Term 1. The pandemic has still brought us challenges, but we have been able to work our way over most of the hurdles.
I particularly pay tribute to the College staff who had to cover the work of colleagues who were sick or having to isolate due to COVID-19. Many staff stretched themselves and have worked extremely hard to ensure teaching and learning has been disrupted as minimally as possible.
It was also wonderful to see the return of outdoor education camps, retreats, Cadet camp, co-curricular, and excursions, which has been no easy feat.
Please keep in your thoughts and prayers, the family of Joel (Year 12) and Noah (Waverley Class of 2019) Burgess. Both Joel and Noah have started a fundraising effort to raise money for Chris O’Brien Lifehouse in Camperdown, where their sister Naomi is receiving intensive treatment for cancer.
Their campaign has already received an extraordinary response. This is a heartbreaking time for their family, and I ask you to please consider reaching out to help the boys raise funds and awareness in support of Naomi.
Naomi has chosen to donate her long, blonde hair to Cancer Council’s ‘Ponytail Project’ which you can read more about below:
>>> Click here to view more information about the Cancer Council’s ‘Ponytail Project.’
Noah and Joel will also be shaving their heads to support Naomi. Please look out for Joel in Year 12, and support him in feeling courageous and positive about this show of support for his sister.
Congratulations to Ryland Short (Year 12). Ryland placed second in the annual 130km race from Wagga to Albury last Sunday. Last year this race was won by Olympian, Leigh Howard.
We wish Ryland all the best as he competes this weekend at the Oceania Games in Brisbane. Ryland will have an Individual Time Trial on Saturday and the Road Race on Sunday.
Congratulations to Xavier Miconi (Year 9 ), Jack Preller (Year 11 ) and Charlie Farrington (Year 11 ), who were selected to represent CAS against GPS and ISA in Tennis.
| Year | COVID-19 Positive | Close Contacts in Isolation |
| 5 | 2 | 3 |
| 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 7 | 12 | 7 |
| 8 | 0 | 11 |
| 9 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | 3 | 6 |
| 11 | 2 | 2 |
| 12 | 4 | 6 |
| Staff | 4 | 1 |
| Total | 32 | 46 |
Total COVID-19 positive cases + isolation = 78
Wishing everyone a safe Easter. May it bring great rejoicing and indeed, new life.
Mr Graham Leddie
Principal, Waverley College
Read more: Easter message, Year 11 ‘Save the Date’, 2022 May Procession details, ‘It’s Time We Talked’ parent event Zoom codes, Terms 2-3 winter uniform and hair expectations.
So much has happened both at school and on a national and international scale over the past two years. COVID-19, conflict in Europe, floods, and a number of families in our community affected by tragedies. Our faith is often challenged during these difficult periods.
Easter provides us with a time to stop, think, and reflect on our own lives and our relationship with others and the world around us.
Several years ago, His Holiness gave us all a clear message to consider through Lent and to Easter. The title of his message was: “The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift.” Without making room for God’s word in their hearts, people will never be able to welcome and love all human life.
Pope Francis has said:
“Each life that we encounter is a gift deserving acceptance, respect and love. The word of God helps us to open our eyes to welcome and love life, especially when it is weak and vulnerable.”
His Holiness focused on the Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In the Gospel account, Lazarus and his suffering are described in great detail. While he is “practically invisible to the rich man,” the Gospel gives him a name and a face, upholding him as worthy, as “a gift, a priceless treasure, a human being whom God loves and cares for, despite his concrete condition as an outcast.”
Pope Francis added that the parable shows that “a right relationship with people consists in gratefully recognising their value … a poor person at the door of the rich is not a nuisance, but a summons to conversion and to change.”
The Pope has asked that Lent be a time “for renewing our encounter with Christ, living in his word, in the sacraments and in our neighbour.” This is something that we should consider doing, to renew our relationship with God during uncertain times.
On that note, on behalf of the dedicated staff who have worked tirelessly and often under great pressure this term, to ensure we maintained face-to-face learning at Waverley College, I would like to wish you all a very happy and restful Easter.
An exciting message for Year 11 students. Please keep the evening of Thursday, 26 May (Week 5) free for a special event. We understand that you missed the annual dinner cruise because of COVID-19 in 2021, so we have an announcement coming soon! More details will be released in Week 1 of next term.
When – Sunday, 1 May, 12pm to 1:30pm – students need to be in the Quadrangle by 11:30am and have their names marked off by their Mentor
Where – Centenary Quad
Dress – full winter uniform including blazer and tie must be worn
The College has been celebrating this event for over 100 years. The May Procession is a sacred celebration of our College founder Blessed Edmund Rice and our devotion to Mary, Jesus’ mother.
We are aware of and support a number of students who are involved in external sporting club commitments. As a note, however, we are expecting that all students are in attendance.
111th May Procession in 2021
Tuesday, 26 April, 5:30pm
‘It’s Time We Talked’ is a violence-prevention initiative that supports young people, parents, schools, government and the community sector to understand and address the influence of pornography.
‘It’s Time We Talked’ grew out of Maree Crabbe’s work with young people in secondary schools and community settings.
Maree noticed that pornography was increasingly playing a role in how young people learn about, think about and experience sexuality. The young people she worked with were keen to talk about pornography, but the adults in their lives often had no idea about pornography’s prevalence or influence – and those who did, often didn’t feel equipped to have the conversations.
These observations led to more questions, research, planning and writing. With significant philanthropic support, ‘It’s Time We Talked’ began in 2009.
Following a presentation to staff earlier in the day, Maree will be presenting to parents that evening.
Join Zoom Meeting
>>> Click here to join the Zoom meeting.
Meeting ID: 896 5492 2955
Passcode: 864555
All students are required to be in winter uniform from the start of Term 2 to the end of Term 3. This includes blazer and tie.
The College has high expectations of our students, particularly when travelling to and from school on public transport. As was the case last year, students failing to do this, will be subject to a Friday detention.
The positive message we give to the public through our uniform and appearance is a clear statement of what it means to be a Waverley College student, and a student’s pride in themselves and the College.
Sometimes students will take the Easter break as an opportunity to experiment with different hairstyles. The expectation is that students will meet the following guidelines on their return to the College:
Parents are asked to please support the College with these expectations. If students do not comply with a request to address any breaches by their Head of House, they will then have three options:
1) Go immediately to the barber at Charing Cross and have the inappropriate haircut rectified
2) Rectify the inappropriate haircut themselves with clippers supplied by the College
3) Return home until such time as the inappropriate haircut is rectified
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Student & Staff Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Fees paid before 4pm on the prompt payment date attract a $25.00 discount.
Any payment received after the due date will attract an administrative fee of $110.00.
Please be advised that some financial institutions need more than 48 hours to process their payments (e.g. Internet/BPay/BPoint).
Please see the last page of your account for payment method and contact details.
You are reminded that if you wish to withdraw your son from enrolment at Waverley College, you are required to give one term’s notice in writing to the Principal that your son’s enrolment will cease.
The last day you can give notice that your son’s enrolment is finishing at the end of a school term, is the first day of the same term. If not received by that date, a penalty equivalent to one term’s tuition fees will be payable.
Mr Bryn Gregerson
Director of Business Services
E: bgregerson@waverley.nsw.edu.au
I would like to take the opportunity to thank the staff, students and families of the Junior School for a wonderful start to 2022. We have a dedicated team, consisting of teaching staff, support staff, students and families who work collaboratively to ensure our students receive a quality education. It’s a recipe for an enjoyable school experience and a pleasurable environment to work in. I wish you all a safe and happy Easter and school holiday.
Please find below some reminders about key events you need to be aware of for the Junior School in Term 2. For all of the College events, please refer to the College calendar.
April
May
June
If your son is looking for some extra inspiration over the holiday period, please direct him to this competition.
WriteOn is an annual writing competition open to all NSW primary students in Years 1 to 6. Students compose an imaginative text of up to 500 words, using an image as the stimulus.
>>> Click here to view further information about the WriteOn Competition 2022.
Please see below your invitation to our very special Mother’s Day Mass coming up on Friday, 6 May in Term 2. Be sure not to miss out and please book as soon as possible.
>>> Click here to view your invitation and to RSVP to the Mother’s Day Mass.
Part of the celebration will include a slideshow. Can I please ask that you send through a photo of your son(s) with their mothers/grandmothers if you would like a photo included in this presentation.
Please send through all photos to liturgy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Our wonderful Parents’ Association has put together a bundle of Mothers’ Day gift ideas for your son to purchase. Your son can also view these gifts outside Mrs Coupe’s office.
>>> Click here to view and purchase our Mother’s Day gift ideas.
Mrs Gabrielle Smith
Director of Junior School
E: gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
For parents seeking information regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation, it is important that you contact your local parish to find out the details regarding when the Sacrament will be celebrated, and when the preparation classes will be held.
For students who are part of St Charles Borromeo Parish (Mary Immaculate Church), and attend Waverley College, the Sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Sunday, 19 June at 2pm.
Please be aware that the Sacrament of Confirmation is celebrated each year, therefore only Year 6 students will be enrolled to receive the Sacrament.
If you wish for your son to be a part of this Sacrament, and you are part of St Charles Borromeo Parish (Mary Immaculate Church), please email Mr Stephen Ghattas at sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au so that a registration form and other important information can be forwarded to you.
Mr Stephen Ghattas
Assistant Director of Identity & Student Formation
E: sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
I am thrilled to be working with a new group of boys who will help make the Learning Hub even more exciting, with new initiatives this year.
There were 64 students who completed the online application to be considered for a Learning Hub Assistant position. Reading the responses was overwhelmingly positive, and I wish I could have added more students. I strongly believe that ‘Student Voice,’ is an important part of education.
I have added a new department called the 3D printing room, and these students will assist with 3D design and printing each term.
2022 Learning Hub Assistants: L-R Charlie Griffin and Thomas Ingham
Absent: Max Wu
2022 Learning Hub Assistants: L-R
Back Row: Thomas Brown, George Jackson, Taj Gadd, Tom Herbert, Joe Madden
Front Row: Sebastian Karhan, Harry Demetrios, Sean McCarthy, Jude Connolly and Edward Crabbe
Absent: Alex Jacques
The holidays are here, and it is important to continue to encourage your sons to read at home. Modelling reading at home is so important!
Carve out time every day for family reading time. This can be a short amount of time (15-20 minutes) where everyone in the family stops what they are doing and reads. It can be anything from a book, newspaper article, magazine to a cookbook.
When children see the important people in their lives reading, they will want to read even more.
Zane and Kellie Goodall spending quality time reading at home
Home Learning club will begin in Week 2.
>>> Click here to register your son.
Should your son be unable to attend, please email the College at nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au or call Reception.
Mrs Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
E: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
There was an exciting energy from all of our Year 6 students leading into the camp at The Collaroy Centre. Located on the Northern Beaches, we didn’t need to travel too far to enjoy the experiences of camp.
Once arriving, it was obvious to see the students wanted to get stuck into the activities and burn off some of that energy and excitement.
The boys quickly settled into camp life, getting stuck into the wide range of activities on offer, in such a close proximity to the campsite:
In spite of the rainy weather on the second day, the boys embraced all the adventures and activities that pushed them out of their comfort zone each day.
Staff were very impressed with the students’ involvement, engagement and support for one another.
The overall experience of Year 6 Camp gave all students every opportunity to create new memories, step out of their comfort zone to face challenges, and conquer fears along the way.
It taught our boys about resilience, compassion and genuine mateship for one another. It was an experience the boys will hopefully never forget, and one that they can take with them as they say goodbye to the Junior School at the end of 2022.
I would like to acknowledge all the Waverley staff who donated their time to be a part of the experience, and to The Collaroy Centre staff who made every day enjoyable and memorable for our students.
Please be advised that due to the significant number of students that have been away across the three Winter Sports Trials and the closure of Queens Park due to weather, we cannot announce teams this week.
The teams cannot be finalised at this stage, as staff and coaches strongly believe they haven’t been able to fairly place students into teams that best represent their skill level and overall character. This is out of respect for the large number of students who have missed trials due to COVID-19, injuries and personal reasons.
It has been decided that we will cancel all training for Week 1, Term 2, and have another trial on Thursday, 28 April at Queens Park during Periods 1 and 2. This will allow all students to attend and offer more space at Queens Park, helping to make any final decisions about the selection of teams for the Winter Season.
All coaches for the Winter Season will attend the trial, and will have a chance to connect with their team prior to the first game. Teams will be announced at the trial, and staff will give students a slip, letting them know the team in which they’ve been placed.
Sports meetings will occur on Friday, 29 April to help students know where they will be playing for Round 1 and any other team-related information.
I fully empathise and understand that this does create some initial dilemmas, with families not knowing their training days and their game location on Saturday, 30 April for Round 1. However, we believe this to be the best and fairest situation to ensure that students aren’t randomly placed in teams without adequate observation of all students’ skill level and a proper assessment.
Please refer to the app announcement sent out on Wednesday, which included the draft Training Schedule for the Winter Season. The final updated copy will be sent out with the season draw via the app at the beginning of Term 2.
Thank you for your understanding around this adjustment, it is greatly appreciated.
A massive congratulations again to Ryan Desousa who competed at the NSWPSSA Swimming Carnival (State Finals) on both Monday and Tuesday this week in the multiclass backstroke and freestyle events.
Congratulations Ryan Desousa
Ryan did amazingly well, finishing 3rd overall in both events. This now means he will be competing at the National Championships in Brisbane. What a significant achievement for Ryan, and as a College, we continue to be very proud of him.
Waverley AFL continues to go from strength to strength, especially in the Junior School. We were fortunate to have our team in 2021 go on and became the Regional Final Champions for the annual Paul Kelly Cup AFL Carnival.
This year, we weren’t going to miss the opportunity to include another Waverley Junior School team for the event. The boys hadn’t yet had any chances to train together, but considering how well they played, you would not have realised!
Paul Kelly Cup 2022
The team won the first game against Knox and Cranbrook reasonably comfortably. They tried their hearts out against Shore, but fell short by two points.
Due to a high percentage as a result of the previous two games, the team went through to the semi final and eventually made it through to the grand final.
Two years in a row, our team has made it through and won the regional grand final. What an experience for our boys, who will now go on to play at the Giants AFL Stadium later in the year to compete for the state championship.
We’re so proud of this team, and wish them the best of luck for later in the year.
Congratulations to Marcus Strbac, who won the all round best player for the gala day.
Congratulations Marcus Strbac
It was a team effort, but we also can’t go past the coaching from Ms Buttling and Hugo Steilick on the day. Thank you to the coaches, and parents who came down to cheer them on.
It has been great to see the trial period for three of the Extra Co-Curricular Activities take place this week. The three activities included:
Innovation Club
Judo
Hip Hop Dance
It was clear to see every student enjoying themselves in these activities, and evidently excited for the opportunity to begin them again in Term 2.
If you signed up your son for the trial, you will have received an email yesterday (Thursday, 7 April) with all relevant information about the program, the cost involved (Innovation/ Hip Hop), and also a link to sign your son up for Term 2.
*It is very important you complete this promptly, as some of the activities have very limited availability.
>>> Click here to view the timetable for 2022 Extra Co-Curricular Activities.
Congratulations to Owen Posada (5 Indigo), Leo Vigil (5 Blue), Aidan Rowley (5 Blue) and Franklin Pyke (5 White), whose Baseball state representative team, Cronulla Sharks White, won the Laura Neads bracket of the 2022 State Rookies Baseball Cup, on Sunday, 13 March 2022.
22 representative teams from across the State turned up to play across four brackets. Congratulations again to our boys for taking home the Cup!
Congratulations State Baseball Champions
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-Curricular (Years 5-8)
E: jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This term, 6 Blue have been working hard on their ‘Myths and Legends’ creative writing. We have explored the Writing Process which consists of planning, draft writing, reviewing, self-editing, peer-editing and publishing.
Before writing, we built the field, by reading various myths and legends, summarising different written myths and legends, and watching short video texts of famous Greek myths.
We decided that a well written myth or legend includes:
6 Blue students understood the brief, and met it with incredible creativity and language features that added such depth to their writing.
Sir Bilby sighed as the thought of his father’s death danced through his head, reminding him of the fateful day that occurred not so long ago. A sword slicing through his father’s flesh like a knife through butter, blood trickling from his chest, it was aggravating. The king had to pay, the endless fields would fall, and revenge would be sweet, he did kill him after all.
On his weekly walk to the market, he couldn’t stop thinking about it, his body was overflowing with anger, eyes fixed to the massive castle cast its shadow down onto the bustling village below. Without thought, he began yelling some extremely unfaithful and cruel things, that no other would ever mouth, let alone speak, to such a powerful being. He couldn’t hold it in, and after hours of yelling, he continued on with his day like normal, as if nothing had happened at all, but deep down, way down, a plan was forming.
The door burst open as a muscular man stomped in, steam rising from his head. This was the king and he expressed his anger in a cold, hard yell “kill him, kill him NOW!” as he looked across the kingdom that was around those thousands of years ago. He called upon the dark worms, a massive, now extinct species, and told them to kill Sir Bilby at all cost.
The sun a golden coin glimmering with light, sharing its warm rays down on Sir Bilby, but he wasn’t happy no, no, not at all, he had found out about his sentence and he was furious, his veins bulging through his neck and face turning redder by the second, now not only did he kill his father but now he was going to kill him too, he wasn’t going to allow this, soon after his plan went into motion, this plan was to fight. Sir Bilby wasn’t foolish; he would need a team, a group of renegades, loyal friends who would not give up and support Sir Bilby at all cost, even in the darkest of times. They too will need armour, the strongest armour they could possibly find, the strongest armour in the kingdom. They would need weapons, the strongest weapons they could find, the strongest weapons in the kingdom. He was ready to finish what he started, as every knight should, as everybody should.
While on a mission to map out the weak spots of the castle, a deafening rumble came from behind him and his men and the floor below, their now shaking feet began to tremble. It could only be one thing: the army of the dark worms. Sure enough, one by one, giant worms thrusted their heads from beneath the ground, destroying all wildlife in the area. Sir Bilby and his men gripped their sword tightly, removed it with great strength from its leather strap, and swung it around violently.
Sir Bilby was ready to defend his dignity with all the might he could muster, and with that, he began to fight. Sir Bilby and his good friend Sir Theodore cut one of the many worms in half, its clear blood becoming what is now known as the arctic ocean, one down, thousands more to go. All the others suffered a similar fate, everyone making a new part of the world’s oceans, but the last two weren’t as easy. These two, presumably the leaders, took hours to defeat, they only died when Sir Bilby all joined together, and did a massive attack and cut both of their heads clean off, like cutting an apple.
A deathening smash rattled the furniture of the tall castle, as in the bedroom, the king’s angry face became one of worry and despair. It was obvious who this was, he should have known if you are furious at someone, would you fight their followers or them themselves? The king locked himself in the sturdiest drawer in the domain, but somehow he knew, it wouldn’t be enough. Footsteps echoed through the empty corridors, people screaming at the sight of such a sharp sword. Some joined him, realising the king’s terrible rulings, and gave into the fact that he was a bad king. Finally, the door squeaked open, they smashed open the cupboard, and saw the weak ruler shrivelled up into a ball. The king took one last breath, and realised his mistakes, he was ready to finish it and walk into the light, “I’m sorry.” With that, Sir Bilby thrusted his sword into his chest, ending a life. He had finished what he started, he took responsibility. He walked in a rebel and walked out a hero.
Greece, A Cave In Mount Olympus
“Long ago, there was nothing, then three gods called Zeus, Hades and Poseidon. Zeus created the world, Hades created death and Poseidon created land and sea. To help them they created Titans, mythical beasts capable of changing the world, but the Titans wanted more power and provoked the gods. They started the war but lost after the battle. Zeus told Hades to lock them up in Tartarus, a mythical hell for demonic creatures. Hades obeyed and they have been locked in there till this day, but the Oracle of the gods mentioned that one day Serpens, the strongest of the Titans, would come out and take over. Only one soul, a master of fire can banish them back to Tartarus.” Amanda stated.
“ Amanda, when can we leave and explore the world?” he asked.
“When the time comes, Summer,” Amanda replies. She sat back on her hind legs and began cleaning her thick, grey fur. A wolf’s coat can be difficult to maintain.
Years pass by and Summer gets older. He grows longer brown hair. He stays skinny and still only remembers his family by his trusty old compass. Amanda grows a larger fur coat, sharper teeth, but she is getting old. Later that night when they were eating, Summer announced to Amanda, “Delicious food, where’d you find the fish?”
“Oh just down by the river. These ones are very rare so eat up,” replied Amanda. She then began to pant. “What’s wrong Amanda?”
“Serpens, he’s here. My child, run! You need to escape to the Amazon Rainforest. Use your compass. It will tell you the way.” Amanda announced.
“But-” Summer was cut off by Amanda.
“Go!” Ten minutes later, Serpens arrived and turned to Amanda.
“Hello, Amanda.” he expressed with a cunning voice.
“What do you want, Serpens?” Amanda replied.
“You know what I want, now where is he?” Serpens says with a serious voice.
“I won’t tell you,” Amanda replied. Shing!
“Pity, pity. Find him.”
“Yes, master.” Some Titans reply.
Six months later, “Finally I have reached the Amazon. Ahhh.” Thunk! “Why did I even have to come here anyway?” Roar! “What was that?”
“I see you chosen one!”
“Ahhhhhhhhh! What are you, you large piece of rock, why are you chasing me and how are you ALIVE!”
A giant rock monster covered in moss appears out of nowhere and looks unhappy.
“Just die already!” the monster said.
“Get out of the way!” a mysterious figure shouted as it shot beams of ice out of its hand.
“Who, who are you?” Summer asked.
The figure spoke in a calm voice “Hi I’m Winter.” Winter had blue eyes, she was dressed in clothes you would wear in a city, she was as beautiful as a waterfall and had a perfect voice.
“C’mon we got to get you to camp.”
The camp had an invisible force field to keep the monsters away.
“Welcome to Camp Titanus. Here we take care of Titan blood. Titan bloods are people who have the blood type of Titans. These people have the ability to use the element of their blood type. The elements consist of Earth, Fire, Wind, Ice and Electricity. We separate the people with certain elements into a cabin with other people with that element, unless you are a master, then you go into the master cabin which is the same but nicer,” Winter explained.
“Okay so now I have powers, whoa this day is almost as weird as when an apparent Titan attacked me,” Summer replied.
“But the titan did attack you today?” she stated with confusion.
“No, no, no, six months ago I had to leave Greece to get here, because this guy called Serpens was coming,” he said.
“Wait, did you say Serpens?!” Winter shouted with astonishment.
“Yes, do you have like a hearing disorder or something?”
“We need to go tell Procellae at the master cabin!”
Bang! Winter kicked the door so hard it slammed into a door waking up Procellae.
“Procellae, I need to tell you something,” Winter yelled.
“What is it, my child?” says a man who looks 1,000 years old, has great posture for his age, and sounds wise.
“Procellae, I have found a traveller that has been searching for us, his name is Summer. I found him outside our base looking for us and worst comes to worst Serpens has escaped!”
“What?! We need to get ready for war! Alert everyone to get to their battle positions. Also, where did he come from?”
“I came from Greece,” replied Summer.
“So let me do the math real quick, hm, ah, oh, uhh, AHA got it, we have about a week.”
“What!” Summer and Winter gasped with astonishment.
“Don’t what me, get training before he comes.”
“C’mon just show us your element child,” Procellae, spoke in a tired voice. The sun was coming down, it was so late.
“I’m trying!” Shing!
“My boy looks like whatever you had in your pocket can turn into a sword when you want it to.”
“Huh? This is the pocket I kept my compass in. This means I could’ve used a sword before.”
“Yes my child, but now we return to training.” Fwoom! Crackle! Crackle! Crackle! “Oh my Zeus we should’ve just tried to get the sword out before but now you summon fire! Welp back to training.”
A week passed and Summer could control his fire and his sword, he could even light his sword on fire, but one week ago Procellae told everyone that Serpens would come in a week and he did. Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Procellae heard the thumping and said, “It seems like the war has begun. Everyone to your battle stations.”
“Ah, Procellae how delightful is it to see you here,” Serpens announced with a calm voice.
“Serpens why do you provoke war upon us?” Procellae asked. Serpens stretches his neck, smoothens his scaly face and says, “Well you know why, the only one who can stop me is in your army, so I’ll kill him before he gets to full power. How about we make it easier, my army versus your army.”
“What army? I don’t see any,” says Procellae with suspicion.
“This army!” Rumble! Rumble! Rumble! Hundreds of every type of Titan come out of the ground, and one earth Titan bigger than the rest, lifts Serpens and puts him on his head.
“What is that?” says Procellae with astonishment.
“This is just my little creation, I call it Behemoth. It is a rock Titan with stronger telekinesis powers. Show them what you can do.” Behemoth raises his arm and the clouds part.
Winter says “Is this the power of a god?”
Shhhhhhhhh! “How did he do that?” shouts Summer. A huge meteor destroys all the trees in a 100 metre radius and turns a massive circle of the Amazon into a wasteland.
“I will stop it.” Procellae says, as he uses his wind magic to hold the meteor up. He succeeds and everyone cheers.
“Bravo, bravo really you saved everyone from the meteor but what about the second?!” Serpens says with a psychopathic voice. Suddenly a second meteor falls out of the sky. Boom! shatters both of the meteors but then. Fwoom!
“He’s fast!” says Procellae, as Serpens jumps and lands a hard hit on Procellae.
“Let the war begin!” shouts Serpens. Rahhhhhh! Everyone shouts as they run into battle, but the Behemoth is destroying Camp Titanus’ army, and while Procellae is fighting Serpens, he can’t help.
Summer shouts, “Everyone, use your magic all at once so we can land a hard hit on the Behemoth!”
Everyone shouts, “Okay.” They all jump use their powers and… Boom! The Behemoth shatters and crumbles into little pieces of rubble.
“How dare you destroy my creation chosen one, now I will destroy you!” says Serpens, as he leaps and grabs Summer along the way.
“No Summer,” says Winter.
Procellae replies. “Let him be, the result may end up well.”
“Chosen one, you will be the first one to die to my hands, but doing so will not be so easy, since you are full power, so let me show you my full power. Meet Asmodeus,” Serpens shouts as he jumps up, and a giant snake leaps out of the ground, and Serpens lands on its head. Asmodeus goes straight for the attack. Summer dodges and slices the tail off.
“Yes!” Summer exclaims. “What’s happening?” The tail starts to move and a snake regenerates from the end of the tail and a tail regenerates from the other snake’s body.
“Did I mention she can multiply?” Serpens psychopathically says. Summer keeps on slicing up the Asmodeus, but they keep multiplying and multiplying and multiplying.
“Now Asmodeus go for the attack!” All of them leap, but Shing! Summer cuts off a fang, turns his sword into a compass, throws it into Serpens mouth then… Shing! Flick! Flick! Flick! Boom! Summer turns his compass into a sword, then ignites it on fire, and the poison ignites and explodes.
Suddenly all of the Titans fade into dust.
“Well, it seems like Serpens strength was also his weakness.” Summer says before fainting.
Two days later, Summer woke up outside on a mattress, to everyone standing around him.
“Summer, you’re awake,” announced Winter.
Some kids muttered, “Is this the kid that saved us?”
“How is he alive?”
“Hey isn’t he new?”
“Procellae, come quickly,” shouted Winter. Procellae emerged from the crowd and said, “Well, my boy, you are very wise, when we were losing you did one smart thing, and saved us all.”
“Oh, Procellae, how long is it going to take us to repair everything?” asked Summer.
“We already have, it took around an hour but we did it, and now we have saved mankind and the gods want to tell you something”, replied Procellae.
“Sam Summer. For the good you have done, we claim you as the Titan god, so you could either live up here with us, or stay there?” Zeus asked.
“I think I’ll stay here because the Titan bloods are my people”, replied Summer.
“Wise choice,” Zeus replied as he disappeared into the clouds.
Moral: When you are losing, one smart move can even the playing field.
>>> Click here to read the collection.
Ms Jade Sparks
Teacher 6 Blue
E: jsparks@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Our school production for 2022 is Cosi by Louis Nowra. Cosi is a famous Australian play and film.
It is about a twenty-something Australian man who has trouble holding down a job, and his latest venture is to direct a play; an effort that is encouraged by his best friend Nick and his lover Lucy. Only he’s not a very good director, and this isn’t an ordinary production.
His task is to helm an offbeat adaptation of the Mozart opera,`Così fan tutte’, that will be performed by the patients at a psychiatric hospital.
Cosi will be directed by Mr Peter Lamb (Drama and Entertainment teacher) and produced by Ms Alison Jinga (Head of Drama)
Auditions took place during Term 4 in 2021, and we have been rehearsing during Term 1, on both Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.
The really interesting thing about rehearsals is that we have had to navigate through the COVID-19 pandemic. So for the first five weeks of term, the rehearsals were held outdoors.
Fortunately, after that, we were able to move indoors onto the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) stage, when restrictions eased across NSW. This really helped us, as it rained so often, and we pushed ahead with rehearsals, finally on a stage!
I’d like to welcome the following staff members who joined our production team at the beginning of the year, Ms Colette Brus and Ms Stephanie Falk.
Next term, we build up to our big production week in the PAC from June 7-9.
We look forward to seeing as many of you as possible for the show.
Tickets will be available via our website in Term 2.
Ms Alison Jinga
Head of Drama
Producer of Cosi 2022
E: ajinga@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Mr Stephen O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Unfortunately, the wet weather has impacted on the commencement of the 2022 Rugby season. We have been fortunate enough to have some trial periods during the week, however, we are very mindful that a number of students have been unable to trial due to Cadet Camp, the impact of COVID-19, illness, and various other reasons.
We will certainly be using the opening trial fixtures in Term 2 against King’s and Riverview to assist coaches with team selections and establish team structures. Our focus will be on the CAS Competition which commences at the start of June.
Please note: any cancellations or changes that are made to the Holiday Training Schedule will be communicated through the Waverley College app. All players and parents are encouraged to ensure they download the app and subscribe to ‘Rugby.’
Monday, 11 April 2022 – 1st/2nd/16As Squad – 8:30am – 4pm at Weights Room/Queens Park
Tuesday, 12 April 2022 – 1st/2nd/16As Squad – 8:30am – 12pm at Queens Park
Wednesday, 13 April 2022 – no training
Thursday, 14 April 2022 – Trial Match
Friday, 15 April 2022 – Monday, 18 April, 2022 – Easter Weekend – no training
Tuesday, 19 April 2022
Wednesday, 20 April 2022
Thursday, 21 April 2022 – Trial Match
16s and Opens Group Training (*Those players not involved the 1st XV, 2nd XV or 16As matches against Marist Canberra) – 9am – 11am at Queens Park
Friday, 22 April, 2022 – no training
Please note: training will be held 13s, 14s AND 15s players on Tuesday, 26 April 2022 (following the Staff Professional Learning Day). This will be held at Queens Park from 3:30pm – 5pm.
16s and Opens Players will train on Thursday, 28 April 2022 (first day of classes for Term 2). This will ensure that all teams have a training session to ensure teams are organised heading into the trial fixture against The King’s School on Saturday, 30 April.
Monday, 25 April 2022 – ANZAC Day – no training
Tuesday, 26 April 2022
***Following Staff Development Day – no classes will be held this day at school
Wednesday, 27 April 2022 – Parent/Teacher/Student Interviews – no training
Thursday, 28 April 2022 – all classes begin
Friday, 29 April 2022 – no training
Our first trial fixture for the 2022 season will be against The King’s School. This will be on Saturday, 30 April 2022.
Our 13s, 16s and Opens age groups will play on our home grounds at Queens Park, while our 14s and 15s age groups will play at The King’s School (Parramatta).
Please note that fixtures and team lists will be published on the Waverley College app early next term.
As we are hosting The King’s School at Queens Park on Saturday, 30 April 2022, we are looking for volunteers who are happy to donate some time to work on the Canteen and BBQ – even just for an hour.
If you are available to help, please sign up on our online roster below.
>>> Click here to sign up to our online roster.
Thank you in advance for all your support!
Please keep your eye on the Waverley College app over the coming holiday period, where we will be publishing the 2022 Season Guide. This sets out all the information you need to know regarding the upcoming Rugby season.
We are aware of and certainly support a number of students who are involved in external sporting club commitments. As a note, we are expecting that all Waverley College students commit to the May Procession on Sunday, 1 May.
In some instances, we are working with clubs to ensure they can create fixtures at times around the May Procession timeslot.
The May Procession is a highly significant tradition at Waverley College (for over 100 years) and is a key part of our identity as an Edmund Rice school.
Enjoy the upcoming holiday break!
Waverley to Win!
Mr John McCoy
Convenor of Rugby
E: jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Last week, our Year 12 students were privileged to participate in a wonderful formation experience during their House retreats. These retreats took place at four different venues across New South Wales:
Below you can read variety of reflections on these retreats from both staff and students.
A retreat experience at Waverley draws on the four EREA touchstones, as such was witnessed on Year 12 Retreat 2022: liberating the minds of young men through deep reflection, bridging life stories with the Gospel, ensuring inclusivity and respect for every young man in attendance, and educating about the importance of justice and solidarity that is learnt through lived experience.
As a new teacher at Waverley, I was privileged to attend the Year 12 Retreat. It was vital I built a strong foundation early on with the students, in which I earned trust by sharing my own story, listening to their stories, offering a safe place for open and honest dialogue, and ensuring there were plenty of laughs.
Highlights included small group discussions, affirmations, +3 – 3, warm-ups involving balloons, and the highly-competitive ping pong championships during free time. And who could forget mud footy. Witnessing the boys in action, harnessing their gifts and sharing these with everyone else, was incredibly powerful.
This unique retreat experience offers all students in their final year, the opportunity to strengthen existing relationships, and make new ones, with a focus on the individual and their life story – i.e. who am I? Who makes me who I am? Who do I want to be? I won’t forget my first Year 12 retreat at Waverley – what a truly awesome experience it was!
As a group, we reflected on the year ahead, as well as the plans for our future. Some activities that Tevlin and Brennan were involved in were affirmations of our peers and ‘ice breakers.’ These experiences broke down the social walls for both classmates and teachers, which inevitably brought us closer together throughout our time.
I also was able to reflect on my years of schooling and the goals I wish to achieve throughout my last year at Waverley. Overall, I personally created stronger friendships with both students and teachers, solidifying bonds for years to come.
During the retreat, we completed a wide range of activities within our small and larger groups, which encouraged me to talk and form relationships with people that I hadn’t connected with before.
In addition, it made me explore my existing relationships and further develop my understanding of my relationship with God and others. All in all, I had a wonderful time away, and enjoyed getting to understand myself and my year group more deeply.
Thank you to all the staff who made this experience possible, and to all the students for their enthusiastic participation. It was indeed a pleasure to see all our Year 12s so authentically engaged.
Ms Suzanne Walsh
Director of Identity & Student Formation
E: swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
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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