The Art Gallery of New South Wales invites budding artists between the ages of 5 and 18 to submit a portrait for the Young Archie portrait competition.
The portrait must be of a person who is special to you – someone who is known to you, and who knows you, and plays a significant role in your life.
There are four age categories:
ENTRY form
If you wish to enter the portrait prize, please collect a drawing pack from the Visual Arts staffroom. You may have begun your portrait over the summer holidays!
The College will submit your work on your behalf. Please return your works no later than Thursday, 14 March 2024 to the Visual Arts staffroom, with your electronic entry form completed, printed and attached to the back of your drawing sleeve.
Ensure you follow the entry guidelines and criteria set out by the Art Gallery of NSW when creating your portrait.
Visual Arts Club will be offered at Waverley as a Winter Extra Curricular activity for students from Years 5-12.
Winter Art Club will commence Week 2, Term 2 2024, and run until Week 9, Term 3 2024.
Visual Arts Club provides an opportunity for students to build skills in critical and creative thinking. This winter, students will be introduced to digital illustration and animation in our unit ‘DIGITAL DRAWERS’ through the use of the program ‘Procreate’ on iPads.
Students will be exploring game setting and character design to use as influences for students’ individual plans for their illustrations and animation. Students will plan for, and create a series of illustrations in Term 2 which represents a fictional world, and the characters that inhabit it. In Term 3, students create an animation using these illustrations as inspiration.
Each student will be introduced to a range of digital drawing and painting techniques including unique brush styles, applying visual effects, and using layers. Students will explore a range of illustration and animation styles in order to influence their own practice.
Winter Art Club Procreate Interface
Final digital works will be professionally printed for students to have as a resolved artwork to take home.
In Visual Arts Club students will:
Cost: $90.00
Materials: all materials will be supplied (Ipad, apple pencil, adapter, SD Card, student prints).
Session times: select ONE from the following:
A huge thank you to all students, parents, carers, convenors, staff and coaches for your efforts over the 2023-24 Summer co-curricular season. In particular I want to mention the parents of the supporters’ groups as well as wish all of Year 12 the very best in their final round of summer activities this weekend.
Next week we have the CAS Swimming and Diving Championships on Thursday, 14 March 2024. This is a compulsory event for Years 8, 11 and Prefects. The outline of the day and related information can be found via this LINK.
The following Saturday is a sport-free weekend for Years 7-12 as we will be conducting our winter staff and coaches induction. On Monday, 18 March 2024 we commence our winter season for a number of activities and the winter training schedule can be found via this LINK. It is also on the College website and has been sent out on the College app.
On Wednesday, 20 March 2024 we will also hold a Rugby Information Night for any parent or carer of a son who plays Rugby, and we will include the 2024 Game Management Guidelines with the new trial tackle law. We would encourage as many people as possible to attend this event. To RSVP please use the message sent on the College app.
We have had a number of students representing the College at higher levels again this past week.
This includes 1st Cricketers Aarush Soni, Hunter Eldridge and Jono McDonald in their comprehensive victory over GPS by CAS.
Henry Walker and Henry Read in the U15 CAS Cricket who were also able to defeat GPS.
U15 CAS Cricket
Congratulations to Tristan Lee and Lincoln Tanner who represented CAS at the U17 Water Polo trials, with Lincoln being selected in the NSWCIS squad. Well done also to Max Gregson who represented CAS Tennis against GPS this week also.
We also have a number of students representing their various surf clubs at the State Nipper titles this weekend and we wish these students well for their events.
This week, Year 8 students Harry Welfare, Will Collignon, Brashen Uncle and Dexter Francis travelled to the Snowy Mountains to represent Waverley in the College team in Division 3 of The Boost Mobile Australian Mountain Biking Interschools Competition.
Competing against schools from across New South Wales (including King’s, Scots, Marcellin, Cranbrook and Snowy Mountains Grammar), they made impressive times in the Norco All-Mountain race (6km enduro style racetrack) and The Fox Flow (5km track on Thredbo’s famous Kosciuszko Flow Trail).
“The boys put their hearts into racing, were proud to represent Waverley and did really well for their first time there … they had the best time and really challenged themselves.” – Bonnie Collignon
Waverley four, we congratulate you!
Please note that there are a number of summer presentation evenings coming up and we hope to see as many students and families at these as possible.
Good luck to all Senior School students in their final round this weekend.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Recently, the College hosted a function for approximately 30 Old Boys from our 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2006 CAS Premiership-winning teams. Also in attendance was long-serving, legendary coach, Mr Curt Forrester, who coached the four 1990s teams to their premiership success.
The night began in the PAC (Performing Arts Centre) Foyer where the Old Boys had the opportunity to catch up with each other, reminisce about their playing days and share their stories since leaving the College. Many of the Old Boys addressed the gathering and spoke fondly of their time at the College and playing together under coach Forrester.
Coach Forrester was presented with a framed Waverley Basketball singlet with a plaque containing the words: “Honouring Coach Forrester for his outstanding contribution in leading Waverley 1st V Basketball to victory in the 1992, 1994, 1995 and 1998 CAS Premierships.” Unfortunately, the 2006 premiership-winning coach, Mr Tim Hudson, was unable to make it.
Before the start of the 1st V game against St Aloysius’ College, Mr Forrester and Old Boy representatives from each of the premiership-winning teams participated in a brief on-court banner presentation where members of our 7As and 7Bs players presented Mr Forrester and each Old Boy with a banner.
Each banner was then hung up at one end of the court to be displayed during the game. Waverley Basketball is extremely honoured and grateful that Mr Forrester and the Old Boys were able to attend the night and help celebrate these magnificent milestones in the College’s history.
There are many other people to thank for their help in organising the event including Head Coach, Mr Matthew Johnston, Waverley Basketball Supporters’ Club president Mrs Juliette Carter; 10A/B coach Mr Damien Thompson; Old Boys Mr Achilles Peshos and Mr Linden Smith-Hyde; our Marketing Department, in particular Mrs Emma Laurence and Mr Angus McPherson; TAS Technician Mr Perry Stanbrook; and Senior A/V Technician Mr Bishoy Wasef. Finally, thanks to Principal Mr Graham Leddie, Director of Co-curricular Mr Stephen O’Donnell and Assistant Director of Co-curricular Mr Stephen Wilmot for their attendance and support at the game.
Mr Anthony Gibbs, Convenor of Basketball
Mr Anthony Gibbs
Convenor of Basketball
agibbs@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Basketball Parents, Carers, Coaches, and Players,
It’s time to get our community together and celebrate all the hard work and achievements this season.
Join us and find out!
Book tickets HERE.
*RSVP no later than 10pm Tuesday, 12 March 2024.
View the Week 6 Careers Newsletter HERE.
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Easyfix Electrics in Matraville is a family-owned and operated electrical contracting business that covers electrical and data maintenance, renovations and building, all over Sydney.
They are looking for one or two apprentices to join their friendly and supportive team.
This is an excellent opportunity for a current or former Waverley College student.
Act now!
Mr Edmond Chan (Class of 1993)
0410 665 497
Image: courtesy Easyfix Electrics website
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As per the College Calendar, this is a friendly reminder that there is a compulsory information evening for parents/carers and students of Year 10 next Tuesday, 12 March from 6pm-7pm in the Senior School Gym.
The session marks the beginning of the transition into senior studies and post-school pathways for Year 10 students.
The session covers:
During Ms Cooper’s session she will make reference to the Subject Requirements Booklet for Year 11, 2025.
This booklet is found on the Curriculum page of the College website HERE.
Please note that this information booklet will be updated in Term 2 with some minor changes depending on any decisions regarding HSC courses on offer in 2025-2026.
Waverley College are excited to be running a three day Volleyball Holiday Camp hosted by ProVolley.
This Volleyball camp will be an excellent opportunity for your son to improve his skills while having fun with friends.
The camp will run in the College Gymnasium from 22 – 24 April 2024, 8:30am til 12pm on each day.
Please sign up HERE to register attendance and pay for tickets.
In 2022, Waverley College launched ‘Real-Time Reporting’ by introducing the facility for Parents/Carers to become observers of students’ online Learning Management System – CANVAS.
Information on how to access and use this facility is outlined in the article by Ms Lynsey Porter and Ms Jenna Turnbull. They also provide an update on the ‘formative tasks.’ Please take the time to read the comprehensive article HERE.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.
Students in Years 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy. Waverley College will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 13-22 March 2024.
To familiarise yourself with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests and for further information, read the Senior School article by Ms Martina Cooper HERE and Junior School article by Ms Gaby Bransby HERE.
Year 7 Parents/carers and students should attend as the session is very interactive and it is important to be on the same page. The main areas that will be covered are:
For more information, please see Ms Martina Cooper’s article HERE.
Waverley College values the importance of the College House events including the House carnivals. In 2024 we are trialling hosting the College House Swimming Carnival on site to ensure as many students as possible are able to experience the event in a safe and manageable environment. This includes better shaded areas whilst also being able to effectively access the College canteen and any other needed facilities such as change-rooms and toilets.
Our previous carnivals off site have led to some feedback regarding transport concerns, impacts on members of the public and their families at those community facilities, risk mitigation, as well as limited participation by some students. We will review the 2024 House Swimming Carnival once completed to determine the location of this event for next year.
I congratulate two creative students who recently won the writing competition run by local magazine The Beast. Among the judges were Marjorie O’Neill MP and Allegra Spender MP. The students are Xavier Wright (Year 8 2024) – Winner of Poetry Category and Alex Avdalis (Year 9 2024) – Second in Poetry Category.
Read more in the article by Mr Bill Roberts and Ms Mary Ryan HERE.
Join Allegra Spender MP in conversation with climate activist Anjali Sharma, 2023 NSW Young Australian of the Year, sustainability expert Lottie Dalziel, and Head of Policy and Law Reform at the Environmental Defenders Office, Rachel Walmsley, to discuss the government’s environmental duty of care, intergenerational impacts of climate change and young people’s role in climate action.
Book HERE.
We’re really proud of the following students who elected to spend their spare time volunteering during Term 4 2023 and the recent December/January school holidays:
Ayrton Barrie (Year 6), Alessio Divic (Year 6), Jack Gibson (Year 6), Cooper Glenn (Year 6), Oscar Griffin (Year 6), Zachary Hickman (Year 6), Dash Ingram (Year 5), Benjamin McGrath(Year 6), Noah Nunn (Year 7), Flynn Oxborrow (Year 6), Patrick Mahoney (Year 6), William Sorrenson (Year 6), Phoenix Tilly (Year 6), Toby Williams (Year 7), and Marcello Zanco (Year 6).
Kids Giving Back reported that these boys were part of a 1,200-strong team of young people who helped with putting together meals, meal boxes and care packs as well as writing cheerful messages to 15 Sydney charities. They certainly display Waverley values in action: outstanding leadership, care and compassion and robust responsibility to their community. Their behaviour is a fine example to us all.
If you would also like your child to experience meaningful opportunities to give back to disadvantaged people in our community, consider the Kids Giving Back April School Holiday Community Programs. Bookings open mid-March 2024.
More information is HERE.
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 1 events, please refer to the College calendar.
A huge congratulations to the following students who volunteered their time during the Christmas break to support this wonderful charity.
Ayrton Barrie, Alessio Divic, Benjamin McGrath, Cooper Glenn, Dash Ingram, Flynn Oxborrow, Jack Gibson, Marcello Zanco, Oscar Griffin, Patrick Mahoney, Phoenix Tilly, William Sorrenson, Zachary Hickman.
These students were among 1,200 young people who assisted in providing over 11,500 hot and cold meals, breakfast boxes, snack packs, care packs, writing empathetic, positive messages to 15 charities around Sydney.
Kids Giving Back expressed that these students “demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, compassion, and a strong sense of civic responsibility. They truly embody the spirit of giving back and we wanted to extend my heartfelt gratitude for their contributions. The commitment to altruism is truly inspiring and a testament to the values that your school instils in them.”
A wonderful representation of Waverley and our values. We are extremely proud of these students.
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life. Students in Years 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 13 and 22 March 2024.
We do not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online, however, if you are looking for any resources to familiarise your son with the online testing platform, you can view the public demonstration site HERE.
We truly believe that we prepare our Waverley students through the quality teaching and learning experiences they already receive in the classroom. Our Year 5 teachers will be offering opportunities for Year 5 to become familiar with the NAPLAN interface and utilising Education Perfect to set some NAPLAN style practice questions in the lead up. We hope for this to be a stress free and supported experience for all of our students.
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Aungier House Mass is coming up on Thursday, 7 March 2024 (Week 6). Students in Aungier House are expected to attend and parents are warmly invited to attend as well. This will be held in the Senior School Chapel at 6pm and will be followed by a light supper.
Please look out for an email from Mr John McCoy (Aungier Head of House).
Congratulations to the following boys in Years 5 and 6 who have been voted in by their peers and teachers as this year’s Class Captains. The Year 6 students will hold this position for the entire year, whilst an opportunity for other Year 5 students will take place at the beginning of Term 3.
I look forward to working with these boys throughout the year. I also wish to acknowledge all the boys who put their hands up and bravely stood in front of their class to deliver their own speeches.
| Year 6 Captain | Year 6 Vice-Captain | Year 5 Captain | Year 5 Vice-Captain | |
| Blue | Enzo Blackwell | Jordan Strbac | Billy Gibbons | Hayden Greenberg |
| Gold | Thomas Taylor | Reggie Horsley | Rosario Squadritto | Marlon Hair |
| Indigo | Ellis Cario | Tio Norman | Sam Jarrett | Samuel Loughrey |
| Orange | Sebastian Lopez-Heslop | Cruz Peralta | Luka Whalan | Jack Morahan Saliba |
| Red | Fergus Samba Hoare | Ashaan Kalmar | Hugo D’Amours | Valentino Guirreri |
| White | Lucas Marin | Jake Saad | Silas Murphy | Jagger Michael |
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of the Junior School / Identity & Student Formation
sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This week, the Year 5 students were honoured to have Waverley parent, Gene Ross, present his knowledge about Indigenous heroes from Australia’s colonial period. He explained the four pillars of Indigenous culture in great depth (Family, Lore, Country and Spirituality). Gene, a proud Gadigal, Bidiagal and Birrabirragal man, connected with the boys sharing about family, background and his connection to Country.
Students and teachers joined in celebrating the lives of the notable First Nations Australians such as Patyegarang, Barangaroo, Bennelong, Bungaree, Pemulwuy, Tarenorerer, Yarri and Jacky Jacky. Gene captivatingly explained the importance of these figures in their historical context and helped the boys in understanding the different perspectives at the time of colonisation.
To the excitement of many, Gene also shared special significant artefacts such as an Aboriginal spear, hunting boomerang and axe. There is a buzz of excitement and curiosity in the air as the boys continue their inquiry in the lead up to the History Showcase in Term 2.
Ms Elise Hunt
Teacher of 5 Blue
ehunt@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Parents and Carers,
The Waverley College Junior School holds an internal Cross Country race. This is to aid in the selection of our long distance runners to represent Waverley at a high level.
This invitational race is not a ‘carnival’ and boys should only consider entering if they have aspirations of being selected to race at representative carnivals. This would require students to know they are able to run a competitive time for the set distances.
Athletes will be timed and notified of their selection in our College team in the days following our carnival.
When: Wednesday, 6 March 2024 (Week 6B)
Time: 12:45pm
Dress: Students participating may wear their sports uniform for the entire day.
Like with Run Club, students can eat their lunch upon their return to school.
Parents/carers are more than welcome to attend and support their sons.
Please complete the attached Google form HERE to indicate permission for your son to race in our invitational event.
Mr Elliott McKimm
5 Orange Teacher and Assistant Director of Curriculum
emckimm@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Round 3 of Summer Sport was a success, with impressive results from all teams. Congratulations particularly to our Cricket teams, who all came away from Saturday with wins. Well done!
Year 6 Cricket B
Year 6 Cricket C
Congratulations to our Water Polo Bs who showed resilience after a close game against St Augustine’s, coming back from 5-2 to be equal 5-5 and just losing 6-5 in the last minute.
Well done to Charlie Burrows and his family who competed in the Husky Triathlon last weekend, where they had a great time and all came through with great results. The “Big Husky” Triathlon Festival has grown to become one of Australia’s most loved of the ‘Long Course’ events.
2024 marks 19 years of Shimano Husky excitement! Congratulations to Charlie and his family on their efforts.
We are looking forward to Round 4 sport tomorrow – go Waves!
Ms Jade Sparks
Assistant Director of Co-curricular
jsparks@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We offer all students in Year 5 and Year 6 the opportunity to receive free additional support after school for the completion of home learning tasks. The afternoon sessions also provide a quiet, supervised study space for students who want to complete their assigned tasks.
Home Learning Club operates in the Learning Hub from 3pm until 4pm – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – during school term unless there is a scheduled Professional Development meeting and the club will be closed.
Register your son HERE.
Only register his name once to allow other students the opportunity to attend. The session is limited to 20 spots. There will be a roll call to ensure attendance.
Students are required to stay for the full session unless there is a message in the student diary requesting early leave, a parent’s signature will be required.
As it is important to respect the rights of others to learn and work, all students are expected to settle to work in the Learning Hub and not cause a disturbance for others.
If you require any further information, feel free to contact us.
An important note to remember, if afternoon training sessions are cancelled, unfortunately, you cannot send your son to Home Learning as an alternative plan, students are registered for the afternoon sessions in advance and the capacity is always reached.
Avoid messaging your son during this period, unless it is urgent.
The Junior School debating tryouts are on Tuesday, 12 March 2024 (Week 7) in the Learning Hub Period 1.
If your son would like to try out for the IPSHA team he will need to do the following:
*Choose one of the below topics:
*Write a 1-2 minute speech taking the side of the affirmative or negative.
*On the day he will refute the student speaking before him. Then he will continue with his speech.
The drawing club operates at lunchtime once a week. In the last two weeks, the focus was on planning for the Waverley Youth Art Prize 2024. This year, the competition is asking aspiring artists to respond to the theme Mysteries of the Deep.
I’m extremely proud of the dedication and commitment to drawing these boys show weekly.
The LEGO Club, a creative and engaging platform for our Junior School enthusiasts, recently explored the theme of ‘Environment.’ Last week’s inspiration sparked a flurry of innovative builds and discussions centred around sustainability, conservation, and eco-friendly practices.
Participants delved into constructing intricate models depicting nature, showcasing the power of imagination. The session not only fostered a sense of community among members but also highlighted the importance of incorporating environmental awareness into the realm of creativity.
Joe Fanning “Love working under pressure and completing weekly challenges.”
Tristan Reay “Lego club is an amazing way to express your imagination when you think in your curious ways.”
Will Duffin “I like that everyone is very creative.”
Kai Taylor “Very fun and very creative!”
Orson Hayes “It’s just fun!”
Hayden Greenberg “Lego club is amazing and lets everyone express what they are thinking about into blocks.”
Dylan King “Very fun.”
It was an honour to host Dr David Heslop as our inaugural guest speaker for 2024. Dr Heslop, a distinguished professional in Science and Medicine, excels as a medical scientist, medical doctor, army officer, husband, and father to Seb in Year 6. His lunchtime presentation sparked curiosity among the students, particularly through his captivating stories of service as an army officer, showcasing his unwavering dedication to duty and honour.
Dr Heslop shared insightful experiences from working alongside the Special Operations team in Afghanistan, leaving the students in admiration of his stories and profound words of wisdom. His strong message, “take the opportunity when it is present,” resonated deeply with our audience. Thank you Dr David Heslop for generously dedicating the time to inspire the boys in our Junior School.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
I’m absolutely delighted to share the wonderful progress that 5 Gold has made since becoming part of the Waverley College Junior School. The students have smoothly settled into their new academic setting, embracing the spirit of Waverley with genuine enthusiasm and dedication. Witnessing their daily commitment to writing, reading, and engaging with quality literature is truly heartwarming, showcasing a sincere eagerness to immerse themselves in their own individual learning.
I am proud of how the boys have wholeheartedly embraced the philosophy of making 1% improvement every single day. This commitment to incremental progress is evident in the impressive improvements seen in their writing skills. The positive outcomes resulting from their dedication to literary activities are influencing various aspects of their academic journey, highlighting the significant impact of a well-rounded education.
As their teacher, I’m genuinely excited about the ongoing growth and development that the rest of the year holds for them. Given their current progress, I have every confidence that 5 Gold will continue to flourish throughout 2024.
Mr Luke Burns
Teacher of 5 Gold
lburns@waverley.nsw.edu.au
In 2022, Waverley College launched ‘Real-Time Reporting’ by introducing the facility for Parents and Carers to become observers of students’ online Learning Management System – CANVAS. This means that parents and carers are able to access results, feedback on any tasks that are submitted through the system and assessment task notifications.
The purpose of this is for:
Instructions on how to access the parent and carer observer function is HERE.
There are 3 types of assessments that parents and carers are able to view on Canvas. We recommend that you organise the tasks by ‘Type’ to assist:
We would also like to update you on the improvements that we have made with our ‘Formative Tasks’ category on the Assessments CANVAS page.
During 2023, a working group of College leaders, classroom teachers and support staff undertook extensive research on effective practice that supports students in how to understand, value and act upon feedback with ‘formative tasks’.
Central to our research was the work of eminent educationalist Emeritus Professor Dylan Wiliam, ‘Feedback is only successful if students use it to improve their performance.’ (Wiliam, 2016) that places the student at the centre of the feedback process.
You can read more about his work on the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership website HERE. We selected and tested these approaches and used the results to review and improve the ‘Formative Task’ structure for 2024 and beyond.
Emeritus Professor Dylan Wiliam – image: courtesy Dylan Wiliam website
Ref. Wiliam, D. (2016). The Secret of Effective Feedback. Educational Leadership, Vol. 73, Issue 7, 10–15.
These new types of tasks are signposted for students, parents and carers as ‘Learning Checkpoints’ on CANVAS and the details are outlined below.
Renaming Formative Tasks to Learning Checkpoints recognises that formative tasks should be opportunities to review progress and set goals. They will still be delivered in many forms and each course will aim for 1 – 2 Learning Checkpoints per Semester on CANVAS. These checkpoints are designed to prompt students to use feedback, exemplar work or marking criteria to reflect on their work and set goals with guidance from their teacher.
Furthermore to student performance and tracking, parents and carers can also monitor and track students’ results from Semesterised Reports in the Parent Portal by following the steps below:
TASS Parent Lounge Academic Analytics GPA Place in Cohort
TASS Parent Lounge Academic Analytics GPA Position in Class
In the two screens above, you are able to see where your student is currently sitting with the cohort and course and how they are trending within their subject after the release of Semester 1 and Semester 2 reports.
We encourage you to check CANVAS and Parent Portal Academic Analytics during reporting periods, particularly prior to Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews.
Contact iAssist helpdesk@waverley.nsw.edu.au or (02) 9369 0784.
Ms Lynsey Porter
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning
lporter@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Ms Jenna Turnbull
Innovation Coordinator and Visual Arts Teacher
jturnbull@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Please ask your sons to see any library staff member, Ms Ryan the College Literacy Coordinator or their English teacher to get started or to continue!
The new student experience PRC website is HERE.
View the poster HERE.
This interface features a ‘discover’ via genre and age interface. Have a look for great recommendations for your sons and family.
The NSW Premier’s Reading Challenge aims to encourage a love of reading for leisure and pleasure in students, and to enable them to experience quality literature. It is not a competition but a challenge to each student to read, to read more and to read more widely.
The Premier’s Reading Challenge (PRC) is open to all NSW students in Kindergarten to Year 10, in government, independent, Catholic and home schools.
Regular fortnightly reading classes located in the library have started for all students in Years 7 and 9.
Ask your sons about what they are reading and to see us with any recommendations, and we will fast track any such recommendations in.
One of the big trends with fiction currently, is the rise and rise of genre fiction. Readers are delighting in genres with this now resulting in blending and mixing of genres in the one book. Genres such as Romantasy and Horror Historical mixes are all available.
What is your favourite go-to genre? Crime, sci-fi, realistic, fantasy, biography, humour? Share with your sons!
It is a great time to try out some reading as a family and to talk about reading with your sons.
It is with great pleasure that we congratulate two students from Waverley College who recently won the writing competition run by the local magazine The Beast (along with Reddam House English teacher Mr Compton). Among the judges were Marjorie O’Neill MP and Allegra Spender MP.
The students are Xavier Wright (Year 8 2024) – Winner of Poetry Category and Alex Avdalis (Year 9 2024) – Second in Poetry Category.
The Beast, February 2024, p6
You can read the full magazine HERE.
Since 2004, the ‘What Matters’ Writing Competition has been asking young people across Australia to raise their voices on the issues that matter most to them.
Inspired by Gough Whitlam’s lifelong commitment to involving young people in shaping Australia’s future, 20 years of this national competition has shown us that young people are deeply committed to making the change they want to see in the world. We believe that your voices are important and need to be heard in the conversations we are having as a society.
Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of up to 600 words, and submitted online.
Prizes
Students in Years 5-12 could win some amazing prizes for themselves and their schools by entering the Whitlam Institute’s What Matters? Writing Competition.
This includes virtual author visits, writing workshops, the opportunity to shadow political speechwriters and journalists, books and opportunities for your school, and of course, the major cash prize of $1,500.
All details can be found HERE.
Check out ‘Write the World‘ which runs monthly writing competitions, provides writing prompts and provides lots of helpful advice to secondary school students with an interest in writing.
All details can be found HERE.
In their own words, Write the Word is ‘A non-profit dedicated to developing the writing, critical thinking, reading, and communication skills of young writers (ages 13-19) to help them become global citizens and achieve success in school, career, and life.’
Mr Bill Roberts and Ms Mary Ryan
Head of Library Services and Applied Philosophy Teacher | Literacy Coordinator and English Teacher
wroberts@waverley.nsw.edu.au
mryan01@waverley.nsw.edu.au
In our third and final part in our three-part series on the Wellbeing initiatives taking place at Waverley College in 2024 we will be providing some insights into our ongoing work with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) in developing ‘whole-school wellbeing’ and outline our new wellbeing position, Head of Student Wellbeing. Here Mr James Horrocks (Head of Student Wellbeing) will explain what both of these will mean for Waverley in 2024 and beyond.
Waverley College is working closely with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) to implement a whole-school wellbeing initiative that promotes evidence-based, school-wide approaches to wellbeing. Through this we are aiming to refresh our current Wellbeing Framework, applying the learnings gained through this network and ensuring that what results is specifically tailored to our Waverley College context and needs.
This program allows Waverley to connect with a wide range of other independent schools, all looking to innovate in their approaches to wellbeing. The Waverley College representatives in this program include; Mr Matthew Barr (Head of O’Connor House), Ms Holly Medcalf (Acting Head of Conlon House), Mr Stephen Ghattas (Assistant Director of the Junior School / Mission & Identity), Ms Samantha Jessen (College Psychologist), Mr James Horrocks (Head of Student Wellbeing) and Ms Gabrielle Smith (Deputy Principal – Students).
This group of staff will attend a series of masterclasses over the next 12 months, as well as meeting with a dedicated consultant from the AIS, twice per Term, to support the implementation of this initiative.
A whole-school approach to wellbeing is part of a broad, school-wide commitment to embedding wellbeing into the school’s context, mission, values, processes and practices. The first of these Masterclasses was held on Friday, 23 February 2024 and was moderated by Professor Donna Cross, a leading industry voice in wellbeing. The day introduced school teams to the key components of a whole-school approach and a strategic implementation process to enhance student wellbeing outcomes. School teams considered the processes and tools available to collect and review student wellbeing outcomes.
It also served as an important networking opportunity, allowing the team to reinforce prior relationships, as well as establish new relationships with wellbeing teams from across the independent sector. Our Waverley team was able to gain great affirmation of the wellbeing initiatives that already exist within the College, and got some excellent ideas on where future possibilities could be explored in this space.
From here we are looking forward to starting our in-school consultancy work as we look to further enhance the wellbeing outcomes for our entire College community. We are looking forward to providing further updates on this initiative as it progresses throughout 2024.
Waverley College Wellbeing Centre
This year we have also introduced a new position within our Wellbeing Team, the Head of Student Wellbeing. This role has been implemented to work in partnership with the Deputy Principal – Students to provide leadership in all aspects of student wellbeing and formation of students across Years 5-12. This partnership provides leadership to the Student Wellbeing Team.
Strategically, the role is responsible for working to enact the Strategic Plan of the College and the Wellbeing Framework. It works closely with the Heads of House and broader wellbeing team to create and implement targeted wellbeing initiatives across all aspects of the College. The Head of Student Wellbeing is also responsible for supporting the implementation of evidence-backed and student-focused initiatives and programs that model best practice in the field of student wellbeing.
In the day-to-day operations of the school the Head of Student Wellbeing works to support staff and students in catering to the pastoral needs of all students at Waverley College. This entails implementing targeted supports for students in need and working closely with the Deputy Principal – Students and Heads of House team to ensure that all individuals are known, valued and challenged, allowing them to reach their full potential.
The introduction of this role has been an exciting opportunity and I am looking forward to taking advantage of the opportunities it provides for Waverley to continue to lead the way in student wellbeing.
Thank you for taking the time over the last three weeks to read about the exciting new initiatives launching this year at Waverley College in the Wellbeing domain. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date with all things wellbeing throughout 2024.
Mr James Horrocks
Head of Student Wellbeing
jhorrocks@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Wednesday, 28 February 2024 a group of Year 12 students participated in the Future Proofing Survey run by the Black Dog Institute. Launched in 2019, the Future Proofing Study aims to prevent depression and anxiety in young people. This ground-breaking initiative involves working with 6,388 students from 134 schools around Australia over a five-year period. The data gained from these surveys has helped to generate the largest longitudinal study of its kind into the mental health of young people in Australia.
The students who took part in the survey have been contributing to this study every year since Year 8 and will contribute one more time after they graduate in 2025. The results of this study are already beginning to create valuable insights into the current landscape of mental health in school-aged students across the country.
The below excerpt of a recent report by the Black Dog Institute (Brown, 2017) provides insight into how we can support adolescents to thrive while navigating their increasingly digital world.
So, how can we positively support adolescents who are living in a highly digitalised world and who may be struggling psychologically? Truth be told, we are all pioneers here because we don’t yet have evidence-informed programs available about the impact of technology use. We examined the latest research in order to identify successful strategies for working with young people. These included:
According to research, when adolescents are not feeling defensive and judged about their screen use, they will talk about how social media and gaming serve as stress relievers, distractions from daily pressures, a central way to maintain friendships after school, an avenue for learning new skills like software coding and expressing their creativity via vlogging or blogging or posting.
Research shows that vulnerable young people who ‘come to screens’ with pre-existing mental health problems are frequently negatively affected by screens. And, according to research, adolescents recognise that the digital landscape presents significant challenges for young people, including exposure to disturbing content such as self-harm, negative online communication with peers, pressure to conform to unrealistic beauty standards, and gaming addictions, all of which can worsen existing mental health struggles.
So we need to continue to work proactively with young people who are already vulnerable in order to protect them from the negativity that can be associated with accessing social media. These interventions need to be approached delicately, however, since the challenges these individuals face often mean that they also benefit from the support, information, help, community, recognition, and sense of belonging available online.
Starting in primary school, the school curriculum needs to consistently educate students about the profit-driven tactics used by major technology companies like Instagram, YouTube, and Snapchat. This is vital to enable children, pre-teens and teens to recognise persuasive techniques, algorithms, targeted advertisements, biased news, and addictive features, and to encourage them to engage with social media platforms critically. They can learn techniques to proactively shape the algorithms on their social media so that they are actively choosing content that adds to their lives – techniques like using the ‘likes’ and ‘hiding’ features on their social media apps; seeking out pages that positively influence them; and unfollowing pages that negatively affect them.
In this learning process, a nuanced approach that steers clear of the simplistic ‘helpful’ vs ‘harmful’ approach to social media and technology will land more effectively with adolescents – and, more accurately, also reflect the reality of the intricate and multifaceted nature of adolescents’ online interactions.
Beyond the formal curriculum, another approach to behavioural change is for senior students to engage with younger students about screen use. Studies show that social media use is more problematic for younger adolescents, with older adolescents able to demonstrate more self-control than the youngsters so older adolescents, senior students in a school, who are also digital natives, could successfully mentor the younger students at school in how to manage their social media use.
Leading by example is crucial: when adults prioritise quality time away from devices, adolescents are more likely to follow suit. And seeking opportunities for enforced offline stretches of time are possible – and very helpful.
Indirect prevention in health entails focusing on addressing social, economic, and environmental factors to reduce disease risk and promote overall wellbeing. In our efforts to prevent adolescent mental health problems, indirect prevention strategies include implementing wellbeing education in schools, promoting healthy peer relationships, encouraging regular physical activity, providing balanced nutrition, creating safe spaces, teaching the importance of good sleep, funding family support programs, offering accessible counselling services, and focusing on building adolescent self-esteem. In particular, it is worth focusing our energy on sleep education, given all the evidence-based research showing that screens before bed is having a significant negative impact on the quality and quantity of sleep and hence on physical and mental health.
Prioritising these strategies is essential for the prevention of adolescent depression and anxiety which will reduce adolescent susceptibility to the challenges of problematic screen use, especially social media.
Conclusion
The digital realm has become an expansive network of opportunities for adolescents, who now not only live in an internal and external world, but also in a virtual world. Collaborating with them around screen and technology use is essential if we are to equip adolescents with the skills to navigate this landscape with their wellbeing intact and with the requisite technological skills that they will undoubtedly need in their adult lives.
Brown, L. (2017). Screens, teens, and mental health: Findings from the Future Proofing Study + 5 recommendations. Black Dog Institute.
Toxic achievement culture is a critical societal issue where an individual’s self-worth is entangled to their academic or extracurricular achievements. This culture is not merely about striving for success; it represents a deep-seated belief that a student’s value is solely dependent on their performance, often propelled by intense external pressures from parents, schools, and society. The concept of toxic achievement has recently been outlined in a book that sheds light on this phenomenon, highlighting the dark consequences of a culture obsessed with success.
Toxic achievement is becoming increasingly prevalent, characterised by excessive competition, unrealistic expectations, and a singular focus on results. This culture is also being aggravated by parental expectations, peer competition, a relentless comparison ethos, as well as being compounded by social media. It stems from a shift towards individualism where personal achievements are being equated with self-worth.
This relentless drive to excel is leading many students to prioritise accolades over genuine learning and personal growth, often at the expense of their own wellbeing and interpersonal relationships. Some students are overfilling their schedules with activities aimed to “get ahead”. However, the consequences are proving to be detrimental on students’ mental and physical health resulting in burnout and heightened stress levels.
As adult carers, we need to advocate for a more balanced and holistic approach to achievement, emphasising the importance of resilience, wellbeing, and the pursuit of diverse interests. There is nothing wrong with having ambition, but it’s crucial to ensure that this desire doesn’t push our young people into a toxic cycle of achievement and make them feel they must achieve in order to matter.
View this Special Report HERE.
Ms Gabby Smith
Deputy Principal – Students
gsmith@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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