Read more: Important vaping law changes, teenage drinking in the Eastern Suburbs, uniform and appearance, Health Centre accepting copies of your son’s vaccination status.
The College works closely with the NSW Police in particular our Police School Liaison Officer. With COVID-19 restrictions easing, the School Liaison Police Program is up and running, including our local PCYC club. In a recent discussion with the College, our Liaison Officer Senior Constable Danny McManus, outlined changes that occurred in October to vaping laws in NSW, particularly around the supply and possession of vapes.
In brief, all nicotine vaping products are now regulated under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 as Schedule 4 (prescription only) medicines in the Poison Standard. A prescription will be required from a medical practitioner to purchase nicotine vaping products from a pharmacy or when importing from overseas websites.
As this is a Schedule 4 drug, the College has reviewed our policy regarding vaping (and vapes) to reflect the changes to the law. I will be reminding students that the consequences for consuming or selling vapes on campus will therefore increase to reflect changes in their classification.
Over the last two to three weeks, both Eastern Suburbs and Eastern Beaches Police Area Commands have seen an enormous amount of alcohol-related incidents, (some very serious), involving young people in the area aged between 13 and 18. Older siblings, brothers and sisters of friends (including random strangers) supply alcohol to these minors.
Young people have also taken alcohol from home to drink in public places and alcohol-free zones, committing a range of public place offences, causing general havoc and mayhem, and consuming police resources unnecessarily. What surprises police the most, is the lack of supervision of young people late at night.
The Police Commander requests that the College remind our community of the dangers of teenage binge drinking. This comes in the same week that drug and alcohol expert Paul Dillon presented to students, staff and parents at the College. Our local police have serious concerns and encourage parents to have a chat with their sons about drugs and alcohol to establish safe boundaries. Parents are encouraged to use the resource below as a starting point for dialogue with their sons.
>>> Click here to view the Alcohol Drinking and Teenagers resource from REACHOUT.
This is a timely reminder that Waverley College students will be held accountable for incidents that bring the College name into disrepute outside of school hours.
I thank all students and their families who attended College this week wearing the correct academic uniform and whose appearance was neat and tidy. A small number of students were asked to adjust COVID hairstyles and remove facial hair. At all times, students are expected to be clean-shaven. I thank those parents who supported this fair and reasonable request.
Congratulations to the hundreds of eligible Waverley College students who received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccination.
To provide our community with the best possible protection, we encourage all students over the age of 12 to follow the health advice from NSW Health, by getting their COVID-19 vaccination. This will not only protect them, but everyone else, as it appears likely that a single COVID-19 transmission at our College will still trigger a chain of casual and close contacts. The implications of this are considerable and anything we can do to reduce the likelihood is worthwhile.
The Health Centre is now accepting copies of your son’s vaccination status. Please send copies of your son’s vaccination status to healthcentre@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This data will be added to the immunisation history entered at the time of his enrolment.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Staff and Student Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
If you have received an early offer to university and not yet let me know, could you please do so via email.
If you require any assistance with anything please do not hesitate to contact me.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
E: kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Tuesday, 26 October and Wednesday, 27 October, students from both Years 6 and 7 finally had the chance to celebrate their Sacrament of Confirmation at Mary Immaculate Church. This celebration was certainly one to remember, as COVID-19 restrictions meant that both parents and sponsors were unable to be in attendance, and the celebration was live-streamed into their homes.
It was a very sacred and intimate occasion with Father Bernie inviting all candidates to celebrate the Sacrament with him on the altar, making each boy feel special. After receiving their blessings and confirming their faith, all boys have now been fully initiated into the Catholic Church.
Year 6 Confirmation
Congratulations to the following students:
Year 6: William Bayly, Harrison Boden-Taylor, Aidan Busteed, Jack Daley, Henry Furlong, Mikey Gauci-Cook, Hugh Godby, Henry Goldrich, Oliver Harwood, Jack Henderson, Alexander Janis, Alexander Moore, Otto Murcutt, Ned Panlilio, Joshua Peters, Stirling Quinn, Will Roberts, Owen Roorda, Evan Rowbotham, Jacob Sheehan.
Year 7: Aston Cavender, Adam Curran, Cavell Frampton, Lucas Guerreiro, Willam Jacques, Finley Malone, Owen Patient, Christian Richardson, Dante Scarfone, Olle Wixstrom.
Mr Stephen Ghattas
Assistant Director of Identity & Student Formation
E: sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With Sydney lockdown restrictions easing, the Year 5 parent representatives have organised a get together to ensure parents and carers can reconnect and celebrate the looming end of College year:
This event has been set up on the Waverley Year 5 parent Facebook page with 90 RSVPs already for the November drinks (including partners).
If you have not responded as yet, please do so either:
Via Facebook
OR
by emailing Anne Clerc-Johnson at frozzie69@gmail.com
This is so that we can comply with the requirement to submit a guest list beforehand for approval.
Hope to see you all there to finish off the year in style!
Regards,
Anne and Daniella
Monday, 25 October — Sunday, 31 October
Monday, 1 November — Sunday, 7 November
The College is excited about the return of all students to face-to-face learning next week. The safety and wellbeing of our community is our top priority as we return to campus.
The College is following NSW Government guidelines to ensure our staff and students are safe. A number of changes will therefore be in place upon your son’s return. These were outlined to students at today’s online assembly.
We recognise the need for a ‘multilayered approach’ to minimising risks associated with the Delta strain of COVID-19:
Where possible, students will be separated into cohorts to limit the interactions of year groups. This includes not conducting in-person whole College indoor Assemblies and assigning designated spaces to year groups at break and lunchtimes:
Please note that our vertical Wellbeing time has been suspended to prevent students in different year groups from mixing. We will continue to communicate important wellbeing messages via Year groups meetings (socially distanced) and whole online school assemblies.
As a result, the Senior School and Junior Schools will be following the adjusted timetables below:
| First Bell | 8:40am | ||
| Period 1 | 8:45am | 9:40am | 55 mins |
| Period 2 | 9:40am | 10:35am | 55 mins |
| Recess | 10:35am | 10:55am | 20 mins |
| Period 3 | 10:55am | 11:50am | 55 mins |
| Period 4 | 11:50am | 12:45pm | 55 mins |
| Lunch | 12:45pm | 1:25pm | 40 mins |
| Period 5 | 1:25pm | 2:20pm | 55 mins |
| Period 6 | 2:20pm | 3:15pm | 55 mins |
| Periods 1 & 2 | 8:40am | 10:35am | 115 mins |
| Recess | 10:35am | 11:00am | 25 mins |
| Period 3 | 11:05am | 11:50am | 45 mins |
| Period 4 | 11:50am | 12:35pm | 45 mins |
| Lunch | 12:35pm | 1:25pm | 50 mins |
| Period 5 | 1:30pm | 2:15pm | 45 mins |
| Period 6 | 2:15pm | 3:00pm | 45 mins |
We will continue to implement a range of measures to decrease the likelihood of the spread of COVID-19. Hand sanitiser will be widely available around the College and students will be reminded to use it regularly. We will continue with increased cleaning measures, with high touch and high traffic areas being cleaned regularly throughout the day. Students will also be regularly reminded of spatial distancing as well as hygiene measures.
If your son presents with even the mildest of cold-like symptoms, and even if he is partly or fully vaccinated, he should remain at home. If he presents at College, he will be isolated in the Health Centre and will need to be picked up as soon as possible by his parent/carer. He will then only be able to return to campus following a negative COVID-19 test, with the result of this test being emailed to the Health Centre.
>>> Click here to email the Health Centre.
In accordance with NSW Government guidelines, masks are compulsory for all Years 7-12 students and staff. The College is however taking the additional precaution of mandating masks for students in Years 5-12.
Masks must comply with NSW Health guidelines and must be of surgical grade standard (a triple layer mask), and well fitted around the mouth, chin and nose. Students will be required to have sufficient stores of masks to use throughout the course of each week.
The College Health Centre continues to operate and is staffed by our College Nurse. The staff have well-prepared procedures, in line with NSW Health protocols, to manage the health of individuals and the campus community, in the event of a COVID-19 case.
On the day of your return, all staff (teaching and non-teaching) will be fully vaccinated.
NSW Health strongly urges all students aged 12 years and over to receive two doses of either Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible before returning to College. COVID-19 vaccination is the best protection against severe illness and also reduces the risk of spreading COVID-19 to others.
Vaccination bookings can be made via the Vaccine Clinic Finder. Depending on location, bookings are available within the next few days, including at local GPs.
>>> Click here to view the COVID-19 Vaccine Clinic Finder.
For students and families who have questions or concerns related to getting vaccinated, please refer to NSW Health’s ‘Know the Facts! COVID-19 Vaccines’ fact sheet.
>>> Click here to view the Know the Facts! COVID-19 fact sheet.
The wellbeing and safety of our students and staff are paramount. To this end, classrooms and indoor learning spaces have undergone a thorough external review as we consider the optimal ventilation solutions for the campus. Guidelines for the use of each learning space in the College have been developed in line with these recommendations, considering a range of mitigations including wearing of masks, spacing of students, ventilation and other hygiene measures. The College has purchased 50 air purification devices which will be utilised across the campus.
To assist with social distancing and to decrease interactions between year groups, the canteen will reopen in Week 4 and will be cashless. There will be no access to microwaves. Access to the canteen will be restricted to one year group at a time.
To ensure we are not mixing cohorts, the Library will only be open to our Year 12 students (2021 cohort).
Students in Years 7-11 will be able to enter the College via the opened gates next to the library and other access points. Note, access to and from the College will not be available via the library.
The library will be offering a Click and Deliver service. Students can send through requests for reading books and resources by email, the library OLIVER search page, or the Library CANVAS page.
>>> Click here to email the library.
>>> Click here to access the library OLIVER search page or the library CANVAS page.
Resources will then be prepared for students and placed into a bag with the student’s name on it. Library staff will deliver these to classrooms.
Library staff will have an outdoor service point to assist Years 7-11 students where needed. This will be outside the entrance to the library.
Printers will be placed outside, with the favoured option to have students email library staff their printing jobs, which we can then deliver to teachers or classrooms.
>>> Click here to email the library.
Library staff will be offering a ‘Pop Up’ library service in the designated year group areas. For example, library staff will be physically present in the playground area during lunch to field questions and take requests. Our focus will be on the new Year 12 (2022) cohort, however we will move through all year groups.
Student replacement ID cards can be printed at the Wellbeing Centre.
Note: loans of library items will be available over the summer holidays. This may be a way to balance online and offline and screen time, and we encourage your sons to borrow. Borrowing will be available up until Friday, 10 December.
Book Hire will be open. Students can see Ms Pearce who will attend to student inquiries via a help desk located outside the current Book Hire office.
>>> Click here to send your requests and questions.
Library staff will also be available to assist with Book Hire / TextBook inquiries.
At the Junior School, the library will be opened on alternate weeks for each cohort.
At this stage, a number of co-curricular activities will continue to be offered in an online format. The Convenors of these and other co-curricular activities will communicate with students and their parents directly, as well as via the Friday Nurrunga newsletter. We are awaiting further advice from the Association of Independent Schools NSW and the NSW Government as to the possibility of increasing our offering of co-curricular activities.
Please note, many activities including retreats, bands and ensembles, assemblies, service week, community events and excursions are not permitted at this stage under NSW Government guidelines.
Parents and visitors, as a general rule, are not able to visit the College grounds under the Level 3 directions. Arrangements for meetings between staff and parents will continue to be delivered via Zoom.
If you need to drop off any items you can do so by labelling the item with your son’s name and leaving it in the boxes located at Reception.
At this stage, there will be no Saturday sport. We are awaiting further advice from the CAS, Association of Independent Schools NSW and the NSW Government. Any updates, including information regarding the availability of facilities such as the gym and pool, will be provided via Friday’s Nurrunga newsletter as this information becomes available.
In the meantime, students should check that they have registered for summer sport and continue to follow the online activities that are posted on the relevant Waverley app pages.
It is requested that parents make arrangements for their sons to arrive on campus as close to 8:30am each day, and depart as soon after 3:15pm as practicable. All public transport and school specials are due to run as timetabled. Students are encouraged to depart campus using multiple access points to reduce congestion.
Students will wear their full summer uniform when participating in face-to-face learning.
At all times, students are expected to be clean-shaven. All students should have an appropriate haircut by Monday, 25 October. Anticipating pressure on barbers, parents/carers and students are encouraged to make arrangements as soon as practicable.
Due to the current COVID-19 restrictions, the Uniform Shop is operating online with pre-ordering arrangements in place. There will be one dedicated staff member attending outside of school hours from 3:15pm-4:30pm Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for student pick up.
Please contact your son’s Mentor or Head of House to share any information you feel necessary, to assist us to support him as he recommences face-to-face learning. Any updates based on NSW Health guidelines will be shared via the Friday Nurrunga newsletter or the Waverley app.
With COVID-19 restrictions in place, there is an even greater need to ensure that our community is looking out for each other to the best of our ability.
Please contact your son’s Head of House should you have any questions or concerns.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Student & Staff Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Cadet uniform, Lunge for Legacy video.
We are so looking forward to seeing all our wonderful cadets back at their respective schools next week! Stay tuned for what this will look like in terms of training, but at the very least, let’s wear our uniforms to school on Friday, 29 October. This will be a real novelty for our new recruits as they wear their Cadet Uniform at College for the very first time.
The Q Clothing Store will be open at lunchtimes and after school all week for those who have yet to collect their packaged gear. Those needing to exchange ill-fitting garments are welcome to come by as well.
Q Clothing Store is underneath The Grange, accessed by the gates at the back of the library.
A big thank you to CPL Davis and Media Platoon for producing this Lunge for Legacy video, showcasing the Unit’s fantastic fundraising efforts as an Online Cadet Activity in Term 3.
MAJ(AAC) Julie-Ann de Kantzow
Commanding Officer – WCCU
E: jdekantzow@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Years 5 and 6 Curriculum overviews for Term 4, Friday Fun Day cardboard carnival, Learning Hub return to school, Year 6 graduation photos.
We finally made it! We have just finished our last week of online learning and what a journey it has been. Our students have shown remarkable commitment, focus and resilience during this time and need to be commended.
You can view the important ‘Return to Campus’ information in the opening article by Mr Patrick Brennan. Please know that we will be doing everything we can to keep our students safe in order to return to face-to-face learning. In the Junior School we have assigned designated spaces for our students to play during break times, where our Years 5 and 6 students will be separated. This will be rotated so the students have equal time to use different areas of the school including the Library.
It was so amazing to see the amount of effort, enthusiasm and creativity in the games designed this week for the cardboard carnival activity. They looked like so much fun and reminded me of the Easter Show. I loved how so many students added excitement to their designs with their acting skills and backup music. I want to congratulate all students for their hard work. The following students were the winners for last week:
Would you like to try this prize winning cardboard carnival magnet race? It was devised by Jasper Lumsden. So innovative!
Enter Freddie Leiper’s incredible prize winning cardboard carnival!
Ms Gabrielle Bransby
Acting Director Junior School
E: gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We hope you will find the below Curriculum overviews informative.
Mr Thomas Mitton
5 Indigo Class Teacher and Acting Director of Curriculum
E: tmitton@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As part of the Year 6 Graduation, I will be putting together a slideshow presentation that will showcase the students’ time at the Junior School. I would appreciate it if you could send through a photo of them on their first day of Kindergarten (or similar), as this will form part of the presentation.
If you could please send a labelled photo through to liturgy@waverley.nsw.edu.au by no later than Friday, 29 October (Week 4).
Mr Stephen Ghattas
Assistant Director of Junior School/Student Formation
E: sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
I’m looking forward to having students back in The Learning Hub. To abide by the NSW Health regulations, grades will be allocated specific days for the remainder of Term 4. This schedule is subject to change, as restrictions are eased in the College environment.
| TIMETABLE | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| Before School
8:15am-8:35am |
None | Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
| Lunch
12:45am-1:15am |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Week A Year 6
Week B Year 5 |
Learning with friends in the Learning Hub
Junior School students enjoying the magic of books in the Learning Hub
Junior School students creating in the Learning Hub
Mrs Natasha Zivanovic
Primary Literacy and Innovation Teacher
E: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Transitioning Back to College, Paul Dillon online seminar, Child Safety Handbook.
This week I met with Dr Tom Brunzell and his team to discuss transitioning back to school. Dr Brunzell is the Director of the family services organisation, Berry Street, and has worked with schools across Victoria after their long lockdown. His research at the University of Melbourne investigated both the negative impacts of secondary traumatic stress and the positive impacts of wellbeing on teachers and leaders.
Dr Brunzell stressed the importance of routine when our students return to campus next week. He went on to say that we cannot underestimate the importance of reconnecting with each other, and student schoolwork during this transition phase.
The College has also been looking at evidence from the Northern Hemisphere to put in place strategies to best help our students return to campus.
The circumstances of this situation have significantly impacted us all. For some, it has been an opportunity to reflect on what is important, whilst others have embraced the opportunity to learn new things.
Many young people may be excited at the prospect of restrictions being lifted, whilst others may be feeling mixed emotions. Reactions will differ depending on how well they cope with stress and change. Keeping a check on your child’s mental health and wellbeing as they adjust to new routines, will be vitally important. We encourage parents to reach out to their son’s Mentors or Head of House if circumstances have changed during lockdown, or they are detecting any flags such as anxiety or unusual lethargy in their sons.
There is still a lot of uncertainty ahead of us, so focusing on the things you can control or enjoy doing, can help establish predictability and familiarity for the whole family. Adult carers need to provide young people with reassurance by acknowledging any concerns and fears they may have at this time. Consider this to be a normal reaction, however it may be best to focus more on their feelings and emotions, rather than the practicalities at this stage.
The latest Special Report contains ideas about how to help ease this time of transition.
If you do have any concerns about the wellbeing of your son, please contact the wellbeing team for further information or seek medical or professional help.
Don’t forget our parent seminar next week featuring Mr Paul Dillon from Drug and Alcohol Research Training Australia. Paul will be presenting exclusively to the College community online next Thursday.
Reenforcing our ‘wellbeing partnership’, Paul will also be presenting to students in Years 10 and 11, and to staff earlier in the day.
Parent Seminar: Thursday, 28 October, 6pm-7:15pm
Meeting ID: 844 1268 5711
Passcode: 156047
The NSW Police Legacy Child Safety Handbook is a comprehensive resource to assist parents and carers on a range of topics essential to child safety. The handbook has been updated to include key messages about COVID-19 safety and bush fire safety with summer just around the corner.
This handbook also includes important content updates from: NSW Ministry of Health, NSW Police Force, Fire and Rescue NSW, Rural Fire NSW, Transport for NSW, Sydney Trains, NSW Department of Family & Community Services, eSafety Commissioner and NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal (Staff and Student Wellbeing)
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Senior and Junior School canteens are re-opening with simplified menus from Monday, 25 October 2021 for cashless transactions with the following COVID-19-related restrictions:
Canteen orders can only be made through Flexischools online ordering which is located in your Flexischools account.
Please note that orders need to be placed by 9am each day. Breakfast is not being offered for the first two weeks and there will be no counter service until further notice.
Senior School students will be required to line up in their relevant year groups which will be supervised by College staff. Breakfast, recess and lunch are all available and cash payments are not being accepted at this stage. Also, there will be no use of the communal microwave ovens throughout this period.
Thank you for your understanding.
Ms Nina Kormanyos
Senior Canteen Manager
E: nkormanyos@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With the return to campus for all students and staff next week, the Students of the World Ecology Group and I wanted to highlight and remind students and staff of the many small ways you can positively contribute to keeping our campus litter free, and to reduce the waste that goes to landfill sites.
I am sure that many households have varying degrees of recycling options, and depending on where you live, your councils may offer different recycling and waste services. At Waverley College we are very conscious of the amount of waste we generate. We are a large College with over 1,500 staff and students. Every one of us can make smart decisions about what items to bring to College, and how to dispose of them correctly.
Waste Management Audit — Students of the World Ecology Group
Waste Management Audit – Students of the World Ecology Group
There are many more ways you can take action to make sure you dispose of your rubbish properly, and to minimise the amount that goes to landfill. Disposing of your rubbish carefully helps keep our streets and oceans clean, it also helps to keep Waverley College a clean environment for all of us to enjoy.
If you have any additional ideas, please email me at rsutcliffe@waverley.nsw.edu.au or even better, consider joining the Students of the World Ecology Group.
We only have ONE planet, so let’s all take care of it together.
Ms Rebecca Sutcliffe
Geography Teacher and Ecology Coordinator
E: rsutcliffe@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Year 11 (Year 12, 2022) Information Evening, Period 1 Elevate Session, Student Elevation.
We are looking forward to you joining us next Wednesday, 27 October online at 6pm for a compulsory parent and student information evening. The session will run for approximately thirty minutes and will cover key aspects of the HSC year including: important assessment and HSC credentialing information, wellbeing, retreats, co-curricular and HSC tutorials.
Please click on the two links below to view documents that accompany the session including: the HSC Assessment Protocols booklet and the Term 4 Assessment Schedule:
Also, please note that during Period 1 next Wednesday, 27 October students will attend a session with Elevate called Student Elevation. This session is a valuable opportunity to strengthen your approach to examination and tasks in terms of motivation and study skills as you embark on your HSC year.
The sessions will be conducted in House Groups. This is a compulsory activity for students sitting the HSC plus ATAR pattern of study. Students sitting the HSC plus Vocational pattern of study are also welcome to attend, otherwise they are expected to attend their timetabled class.
The venues are below and you will receive a Google Meet invite as you will attend online. Given that you will be in a classroom, you will need to bring your headphones and a pen.
Please arrive promptly by 8:40 am for an 8:45 am start:
Ms Lynsey Porter
Director of Curriculum
E: lporter@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.
Watch our video
