Click here to view the fixtures, training schedules and maps
Congratulations to Fred Carmody (Year 10) who will soon be competing in the Australian Junior Surfing Titles in Victoria. He is one of eight boys selected in the NSW Team for U18. He’s competing as an individual and he’s also been selected in the NSW two-man U18 school’s All Stars team. As a 16-year-old, he’s one of the youngest in his age group.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Friday, Waverley’s 1st V Basketball had a tough matchup against Trinity Grammar School, coming short with the final score, 72-94. The game was back and forth right from the tip-off, with Trinity coming into the second quarter up by a small margin of points. The 1st V was able to fight back and have a glimpse of victory by the end of the first half, with James Dyson-Merwe leading the team with his scoring.
The second half was led by Trinity, with their defence stopping Waverley from scoring. With the last quarter coming down, Waverley was down and was able to make a quick run with the help of Flynn Busteed and Angus Peshos’s shooting to bring Trinity’s lead down. Unfortunately, it was too late, with Trinity having very great players, the 1st V ended up losing in the end.
Although it wasn’t the way Waverley wanted to end the year, they will come back stronger than ever, next year.
At Waverley, the 2nd V faced off against Trinity to try to secure a 4-1 record for the first half of the season. With a huge amount of effort and grit, they were able to overcome Trinity with the end score, 51-43. The first quarter was a slow one with Trinity playing along with them in a very close game.
After the break, the dynamic duo of Giles Strachan and Hudson Hatchet were able to pull the team up with their defensive presence to take the lead by the end of the first half.
After that, there was no stopping them, as they were able to build a 10-point lead with the help of Rory Donellan’s spectacular performance.
With the win against Trinity, the 2nd V is now sitting on top of the CAS leaderboard, winning four out of five games, hoping to secure the championship next year.
The Waverley 10As already had a lot of momentum coming from being victorious in their previous games to have an undefeated season so far.
Waverley initiated the game very passionately, playing strong on both offence and defence with players such as Jonte Garvey and Nico Palacio playing very well, getting some early scores.
The game was very entertaining to watch, particularly to see such great basketball and talent shown by such a young team. They finished the game with another victory, the final score 34 – 23, and a great way to end the season.
The Waverley 9As played a very strong Trinity team that was an intense, back-and-forth game with all players playing hard on every single play, which gave them momentum going into the second half. Going into the second half Waverley continued to play hard, but Trinity was playing very well and got the win, 26-43.
The 8As played a very good game against Trinity and were playing hard from the first whistle. They continued to play hard throughout the whole game and got a lead going into the second half. They continued to play hard and got a very good win, 50-44.
Congratulations to all the teams with each of them putting all their effort into these games. Good luck to all teams as they head off into the next half of the CAS season.
Flynn Busteed (Captain of Basketball)
James Dyson-Merwe and Sergej Jakovljevic (Co-captains of 1st V)
Mr Anthony Gibbs
Convenor of Basketball
agibbs@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Onsite Waverley College exclusive cricket camps will take place on:
Should you be interested in attending, please view the flyer below.
The Waverley College Cricket Supporters’ Club cordially invite you to the annual Parents and Sons match.
All ages, Years 5-12. Kids, come beat the old people!
Cool prizes!
When: Wednesday, 29 November 2023, Queens Park, from 4:15pm.
Click the button below to register.
At the Parents and Sons Match, the Cricket Supporters’ Group will have a bin for donations of old cricket gear in good condition.
We strongly encourage you to bring along your old cricket gear and help support disadvantaged children across Australia.
You can donate:
Click here to view the Week 7 Careers Newsletter
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With all the exams and now the camp done and dusted for the year, it is the time of year where I ask students to return all their textbooks and English novels.
Please ensure that they bring the aforementioned books to school next week, especially since we have a returns schedule in place where each class comes down to Book Hire, that would be wonderful.
If they are away on that scheduled day, do not fret, as they are always welcome to drop the books off to Book Hire when back or leave their books in the marked green crates in the library or main reception.
*Book Hire operating hours until the end of the school year are Monday-Friday 8am-4pm.
Thank you for all your help with the return process and any questions, please don’t hesitate to email bookhire@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Next Friday, 24 November 2023, Year 12 students along with staff members will be taking part in the Step Out Speak Out Walk. You are invited to walk with the students as a College community.
The Step Out Speak Out Walk raises awareness about domestic violence and asks everyone to stand up and say no to domestic violence. The annual Walk marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, marking the beginning of 16 days of activism, culminating in Human Rights Day on 10 December. The walk is organised by the NSW Police Eastern Beaches LAC and Randwick Council.
As a College, we are proud to participate in this important community event each year and walk together in solidarity in support of the elimination of violence towards women.
Please see the details below:
When: Friday, 24 November 2023
Where: The walk will start at High Cross Park, Randwick at 7:30am. The walk will finish at Grant Reserve, Coogee Beach.
Order of events:
Matthew Talbot Hostel is a wonderful organisation helping over 35,000 Sydney men each year in providing accommodation, health, counselling and employment assistance. Waverley has had a long history of boys helping in its kiosk in Woolloomooloo, and strongly contributing towards making Christmas easier for those in need.
All boys from all Houses from Years 5-12 are encouraged to bring in toiletry and other items in order to be able to provide essential packs for the homeless and marginalised groups which the Matt Talbot Hostel provides assistance for.
This will run from Week 4 for the whole month of November. Tevlin House students have their Social Justice focus area in homelessness, and will be actively promoting the request to contribute items, and reflect the new Waverley theme of “stronger together, united as one.”
All donations can be brought into daily Mentor Groups, or to the Wellbeing Centre (Senior School), or Junior School Office.
Please refer to Ms Gabrielle Smith’s Nurrunga article here for more details.
Congratulations to the following students for their recent efforts to help others in our community programs from August to October, which includes the recent September/October school holidays programs too.
The community programs that these students participated in:
Their outstanding leadership, empathy, and civic commitment serve as a source of inspiration and reflect our College’s core values.
We would love to see more of our students involved in ‘giving back’. Bookings open soon for December 2023/January 2024 school holiday community programs. Keep an eye on their website as these programs sell out fast!
Support those in need by taking up opportunities in the link here.
Some great news. Working with our volunteers in the uniform shop and Ms Sue Walsh, we shipped 60kg of secondhand uniforms to Darwin for Indigenous youths last week. We will be shipping just over 200 kg of clothes/shoes to Fiji this week. We know that recipients are very grateful for our donations.
SOTWEG had a wonderful catch up with Christian Brothers College Boksburg, South Africa last Thursday. The students talked about local food, sport and sustainability! Both schools had such a good time connecting, they are keen to continue conversations next year.
SOTWEG had a brilliant idea for end of year locker clean up, for students to put stationary that still can be used and has a life into a “charity box.” Some students attended a talk with the Jesuit Refugee Foundation a month ago, and in conversation found out that this Foundation could do with donations of stationery items. We know from previous locker clean ups that a lot of students have brand new (or close to new) pens, pencils, notebooks etc. We will put out boxes for locker clean out days. Please encourage students in their wellbeing groups to use these boxes.
Congratulations to Daryus Sione (Year 10) and James Finegan (Year 10) on being selected into the Australian U16 Rugby Team for 2023. They have been selected after some strong performances with the Waratahs U16s in the Super Rugby Mens U16s Championship.
The Australian U16s team is the first opportunity in Rugby Australia’s men’s pathway, for players to represent their country. The squad will now go into camp in Canberra at the Australian Institute of Sport, 8-12 December, where they will prepare to play the Pacific All Stars on 12 December, 1:30pm. This match will be streamed live through Rugby Xplorer, and is the first time in a long time that we have seen an Australian U16 side take to the field.
On Tuesday morning, students from Years 5-7 had the privilege of hearing from guest speaker Shaun Tomson – a true icon in the world of surfing. Shaun shared the life lessons surfing has taught him. He says “surfing teaches you to never turn your back on the ocean, it teaches you about humility, it teaches you about perseverance and resilience. It teaches you about making good choices in your life – whether you surf or not.”
Shaun Tomson is the 1977 World Surfing Champion – and he’s here in Australia to promote a film, ‘Free Ride’ in which he stars. He’s ridden some of the biggest waves, including Pipeline, and won.
Shaun is a leadership and change management expert and lectures widely on the Code Method, a high-impact program that activates the power of purpose to improve motivation, engagement and performance.
As an entrepreneur, he founded and sold two market-leading, international clothing brands, and is the author of three #1 Amazon best-selling books on self-empowerment.
Shaun’s powerful method of self-transformation has been used by over a million people to create profound life change. His simple mission is to help individuals activate their own personal Code to live a better and more purposeful life.
The boys thoroughly enjoyed the presentation and Shaun commented on how attentive the boys were.
On Tuesday evening, over 100 parents/carers from the Junior School and Senior School attended the Paul Dillon parent presentation in the Performing Arts Centre.
Paul Dillon has been working in the area of drug education for almost 30 years. He works with many school communities to ensure they have access to quality information and best practice drug education.
An ex-school teacher, Paul has an interest in working with young people, and regularly provides drug information sessions and workshops to students across the country. His best-selling book for parents titled ‘Teenagers, Alcohol and Drugs’ was published in 2009 and has since been released internationally, and translated into a number of languages.
Paul examined the history of ‘teenagers’, rebellion and the different ‘temptations’ that have existed over time. Using the latest research on the developing brain, he also discussed why young people make the decisions they do during this time. Sleepovers, parties and gatherings provide teens with valuable opportunities to develop important socialising skills but are not ‘risk-free’.
It was wonderful to hear some of his practical strategies and tips for parents considering allowing their teen to attend such events to help ensure they are as safe as possible.
The digital era has made gambling more accessible, and certain factors are elevating the risk of problematic gambling among young people. A new grey area is emerging, with smartphones at their fingertips blurring the boundaries between gambling and entertainment, especially within the realms of video games and social media. The current generation of young people are growing up in an unprecedented time and research highlights that a significant percentage of adolescents are involved in gambling activities.
Reports of young people gambling are frequent with many experiencing adverse consequences such as diminished academic performance and strained relationships. Today’s youth are growing up in a digital age characterised by constant connectivity, and the gambling industry has evolved significantly during their formative years. Simulated gambling, such as in video games, can further increase the likelihood of teenagers transitioning to real-money gambling and developing future gambling-related problems.
It’s crucial to foster open discussions about positive media choices to help children navigate through responsible online gaming and gambling. By encouraging a balanced approach to screen time and promoting alternative activities, will help set some clear boundaries to avoid potential gambling-related issues.
This Special Report provides guidance on how to empower young people to make responsible choices in this digital age. We hope you take a moment to reflect on the information offered, and as always, we welcome your feedback. If this raises any concerns for you, a loved one or the wellbeing of your child, please consider seeking medical or professional help.
Source: SchoolTV
Click here to view the SchoolTV special report.
Ms Gabby Smith
Deputy Principal – Students
gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Matthew Talbot Hostel is a wonderful organisation helping over 35,000 Sydney men each year in providing accommodation, health, counselling and employment assistance. Waverley has had a long history of boys helping in its kiosk in Woolloomooloo, and strongly contributing towards making Christmas easier for those in need.
All boys from all Houses from Years 5-12 are encouraged to bring in toiletry and other items in order to be able to provide essential packs for the homeless and marginalised groups which the Matt Talbot Hostel provides assistance for.
This will run from Week 4 for the whole month of November. Tevlin House students have their Social Justice focus area in homelessness, and will be actively promoting the request to contribute items, and reflect the new Waverley theme of “stronger together, united as one.”
All donations can be brought into daily Mentor Groups, or to the Wellbeing Centre (Senior School), or Junior School Office.
Item list for Waverley Students to Bring in (please note these items must be new):
Toiletry Pack Items – small traveller size ideal (150 toiletry packs are distributed each fortnight to the men accessing services at MTH)
Many thanks for your support of this great appeal.
Mr John McCallum
Head of Tevlin House
jmccallum@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As our students in Years 7-10 reach the end of their Yearly Examination period and Year 12 2024 students work through their Term 4 assessment program, it is opportune to engage in reflection that extends beyond marks. Dr Carol Dweck’s seminal work on the ‘Growth Mindset’ provides a framework for students to view challenges as pathways to personal development.
Students, as you reach the end of the examination period or complete an assessment task, consider reflecting on the various aspects of your academic journey. When you receive your marks and feedback, remember to acknowledge the study techniques that proved effective and those that need refinement. Did you set up a study timetable? Did you stick to it 90% of the time? A Growth Mindset values effort and the ability to use feedback as an opportunity to understand learning gaps and where to next with your approach.
Parents and carers, Dr Dweck’s research underscores the significance of praising effort to foster a positive relationship with learning. As your son receives his feedback, celebrate the positives and help him to recognise that setbacks are not permanent, but opportunities to strengthen his academic toolkit. A conversation with your son might involve phrases such as, ‘Your dedication to studying really shows your commitment to learning,’ and, ‘mistakes are a natural part of the learning process. What can you learn from them?’
Incorporating this reflective process ensures a holistic approach to learning – one that goes beyond examination outcomes to shape resilient, adaptable learners. Let’s work together to foster a culture where the examination period becomes a springboard for ongoing growth and success.
Following our recent Cybersafety Week, we held an online parent information session for Senior School parents/carers hosted by ySafe.
This session covered some tips and tricks for managing your son’s digital world along with some insights into current trends.
You can find a recording of this session at:
For additional content please go to the Waverley Cybersafety Hub at:
Congratulations are in order to all our Year 9 students on completing their exams this week! Hooray!
As such, textbooks issued to students at the beginning of the year, as well as English novels that they were given throughout the school year, are now due for return.
Given the above, we have scheduled class times where students will be coming down to Book Hire for returns, therefore if you can please ensure that they bring all their textbooks with them next week, that would be greatly appreciated.
Please note that they are always welcome to pop by during the week (Book Hire is open Monday-Friday, 8am-4pm) if they miss their designated return class time or alternatively, place their books in the marked green boxes located in the Library or our reception area.
If there are any questions at all, please do not hesitate to email me at bookhire@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Thank you for all your help!
Click here to view the Week 6 Careers Newsletter
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 4 events, please refer to the College calendar.
Time: 9am – 10:30am (students to arrive at school at 8:15am)
Location: Gym (Senior School)
Student Dress Code: Academic Uniform (no blazers)
Only the parents/carers of students who are receiving an award have been invited to this event. These parents/carers will be notified in a separate email.
Students who have parents/carers that attend the event, may leave with them straight after.
There will be supervision as normal, however, there is the option for your son to leave after the event, with written permission.
Each classroom teacher will send a Google Doc out on Monday where you may indicate if your son can go home and the arrangements, or if your son will require supervision until 3pm.
Over 150 Years 5 and 6 students took to the stage on Wednesday evening to perform at the 2023 Junior School Music Festival in our Performing Arts Centre.
The Waterford Concert Band, Junior School Guitar Ensemble, Stomp, Junior School Rock Band and Cantores all provided a fabulous night of entertainment for the audience.
Our Junior School music captain, Joe Madden performed a jazzy clarinet solo and our Wakakirri item provided a dramatic close to the program.
Events like these do not happen without the support of many people. As such, the junior school would like to thank – all of the boys who spent many hours of rehearsal in preparation for the festival, all of the tutors involved in preparing these items, in particular ensemble directors Mr Dan Williams, Mr Nick Yavtsev and Mr Jesse Johnston, the Senior School music department and Ms Keiran Kossenberg for their continued support, the Music Supporters’ Club and Mr Bishoy Wasef for his technical magic. We would also like to thank all of the parents and carers of our performers for their ongoing encouragement.
Ms Gaby Bransby acknowledges the substantial contributions of Music and Drama Teacher Ms Michelle Rollins over her 27-year career at Waverley
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Parents and Carers,
You are all invited to the Year 6 Graduation on Monday, 4 December 2023 to acknowledge the end of your son’s primary school years. Please see the invitation below.
Kids Giving Back is a NFP – DGR-status charity who offer meaningful volunteering opportunities to young people 6-18 years. Our mission is to create the next generation of generosity. Our philosophy embraces the triple impact of volunteering: creating empathic and responsible kids, supporting charities, and improving the society in which we live by creating a civic-minded population.
Kids Giving Back partners with over 50 charities and would love our support. I appeal to all students to please bring in the following essential items. With these donations, we enable children in the school holidays to create care packages, which are then donated to victims of domestic violence and the homeless community. Thank you for your support!
Thank you to Noah Nunn (6 Indigo) for bringing this charity to our attention once again this year.
Donations for this charity can be handed in to Ms Sanchez at the Junior School front office. We will collect donations up until Friday Week 8 (1 December 2023). Your generosity and support is very much appreciated.
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Junior School / Identity & Student Formation
sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Round 12 Sport (Saturday, 18 November 2023)
We’ve made it to the final co-curricular round for 2023 sport. I wish all teams the best of luck this weekend, and especially our Year 6 students who will be competing in their final round of sport at the Junior School.
Please click the link below to access the sports fixture for Round 12 this Saturday, 18 November. All adjustments to times and venues have been noted in red, please take note carefully.
>>>> Click here to view the College Website: Junior School Sports Fixtures and Season Draw.
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-curricular – Years 5-8
jwachtel@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 – 4pm – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – during school term unless there is a scheduled Professional Development meeting and the club will be closed.
Click here to register your son
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.
Try to avoid messaging your son during this period, unless it is urgent.
As we come to the end of a productive year of Drawing Club, I allowed the students to work on their mini drawings for the final sessions. Observing the students thinking critically about their drawings and watching them work creatively, is a highlight for me.
I have watched the boys make new friends, discuss and appreciate each other’s drawings. There are only two sessions left in 2023 and I look forward to seeing what they produce.
Toby and Ceilim did Waverley proud on Friday, 10 November 2023. These two boys represented Waverley at the IPSHA Speakers’ Challenge competing against 90 students from a variety of schools in NSW.
Both boys showed strong speaking skills, and their matter, manner and method were exceptional. I’m extremely proud of the growth both boys made since Round 1, the Junior School finals and now the challenge.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Boys in the Junior School have been exploring the musical concept of structure in Term 4. As a part of this topic, we have developed musical language to help us define and describe musical structure such as introduction, verse, chorus, bridge and coda. We used our listening skills to identify different sections of the music by comparing and contrasting melody, rhythm and instrumentation. We then used our knowledge of structure to develop a class performance of the theme from the TV series S.W.A.T. Once we learned the main melodies, we were able to experiment with different arrangements.
In Term 4 we have consolidated our skills into a final project including importing audio and video files into Garage Band, sampling sounds, creating loops and adding sound effects. Boys created a backing soundtrack for a small section of silent animated film. Students considered mood (tone colour), timing (duration) and sound effects (sampling). We are looking forward to sharing our work in class in Week 7, when every student will have the opportunity to show one of their 2023 Music Tech works to the class.
Term 4 is all about performing! Year 5 Drama students performed ‘Vulga the Vampire’ at the beginning of the Term. The characters were great fun and the boys developed voice projection, special awareness and teamwork.
As we come to the end of the year, our final play ‘Here comes the Judge’ is in rehearsal and is looking good. The boys will perform this play in Weeks 7 and 8.
We hope you enjoy some of the Music Tech works below that were produced in 2023.
School Blues by Leo Vigil, Charlie McKenzie and Freddie Fearon
Space Emergency (using genuine sound effects from NASA to create a soundscape) by Alex Banhidi
Dance Track by James Draper
Dance Track by Benedict Vanzella
Ms Michelle Rollins
Music and Drama Teacher
mrollins@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Firstly, a big congratulations to all our Year 7 students on completing their exams! YAY!
Given that all exams are done and the end of school year is in sight, textbooks issued to you at the beginning of the year, as well as English novels that you were given throughout the school year, are now due for return.
Starting next week, during certain classes, students will be coming down to book hire for returns, therefore if you can please ensure that they bring them from home, that would be greatly appreciated.
If they are away on that scheduled day, not to fret, as they are always welcome to drop the books off to Book Hire when back, or leave their books in the marked green crates in the library or main reception.
*Book Hire opening hours are Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm.
Any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to reach out via the email provided.
Thank you for your help!
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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