In line with the PDHPE curriculum, all students in Year 9 will be participating in ballroom dancing lessons and an evening of dance during Week 7 of Term 1. The dance will be conducted in association with St Clare’s College and led by the Joan Carmody School of Dance.
Ballroom dancing lessons will be conducted in the Brother Lacey Gymnasium at Waverley College during Periods 1 and 2. All students are required to bring their PE shoes to change into.
Students will participate in an organised dance with St Clare’s College. The dance will begin promptly at 6:30pm and will conclude at 8.30pm. Students are requested to wear collared shirts, long pants and trainers. The dance will be supervised by both Waverley and St Clare’s staff members. Students are required to get their name marked off as they enter the dance.
This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn the skills of ballroom dancing and to enjoy a social evening with their peers. Boys are reminded that they will be representing the College and therefore normal school expectations for behaviour and cooperation will apply.
Should you have any further inquiries, please do not hesitate to email me at the College at pdarvill@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Ballroom Dancing with St Clare’s in 2022
On Monday, 27 February 2023, Year 11 SLR students will be attending a simulator session at Off-Piste Ski and Snowboard. Activities will be practical and involve outdoor recreational activities such as skiing and snowboarding. This aligns with the Outdoor Recreation Unit being completed in Term 1.
Students are required to make their way to the venue (located in the Entertainment Quarter) by 9:15am. We have external providers running the activities for the students.
Students will be required to make their own way home when the excursion concludes at 12:30pm (this is due to mentor/parent interviews being conducted in the afternoon).
Students are required to wear full PE practical uniform. Students can bring lunch but there are also facilities to purchase food.
To attend the excursion, students need to return the permission slip below by Friday, 24 February 2023.
Click here to view the permission slip
I have had the pleasure of meeting three new principals to the area over the last couple of weeks: Mrs Judith Poole (Headmistress of St Catherine’s School), Ms Ann Freeman (Principal of St Clare’s College), and Mr Michael Manton (Principal of St Charles’ Primary School). It is lovely to share ideas and concepts on how each community can support each other in our common goal of providing excellent educational and positive social outcomes and opportunities for students under our care.
I encourage you to read Ms Elizabeth Watson’s (Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning) article on high expectations and the educational research that supports this. You can make a significant contribution in partnership with the College in this space that will have a positive impact for your son.
Ms Gabby Smith’s (Deputy Principal – Students) article further encourages our partnership with you by outlining the process for booking in an online mentor meeting with your son’s Wellbeing Mentor.
Please take a moment to come in to view 2021 Year 12 student Jet Marsh-Cashman’s major artwork that toured across NSW during 2022 with the HSC ARTEXPRESS.
Jett’s Artwork ‘Missed Calls’ is a collection of works inspired by the missed calls we receive as urgent messages needing a response. The caller isn’t given the satisfaction of a response. Both sides are affected, experiencing a range of emotions, such as guilt, despair, anger, humour and happiness.
Jet’s intent with the audio message on each telephone was to create a common and relatable scenario, giving the audience the chance to interact and interpret, attaching their own understanding to each aspect of life expressed in the corresponding canvas. This experience is made more interactive as the audience views their reaction to each missed call.
Other final year student artwork on display in the Senior School reception includes Dylan Quirk’s ‘Natures Embodiment’ (2017 ARTEXPRESS), Angus McPherson’s ‘Coast From Above’ (Year 12 Major Artwork 2019), and Heath Jackson’s ‘Iron Horse’ (Year 12 Major Artwork 2020). All are impressive pieces, worthy of reflection and viewing.
Well done to Cooper Ryan on winning gold at the recent NSW Open Beach Volleyball tournament in the U16 division. Cooper will represent NSW as the top seed at the Nationals.
I encourage you and your son/s to support Project Compassion during Lent, which begins next week and runs until Easter. Project Compassion is a grassroots fundraiser that started in the 1960s in Australia, and moved on to become the national Lenten fundraising appeal. It is the main annual appeal for the organisation known as Caritas and is supported by every diocese, parish and Catholic school across the country.
The word Caritas comes from Latin, and means love and compassion. Caritas serves across 18 countries, working through 67 partnerships in communities to bring hope, support and compassion to the world’s most vulnerable people. Caritas is currently supporting the Turkey/Syrian earthquake and other crises across the world including; the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ukraine, Africa, Afghanistan and Lebanon.
With your support and generosity, they can continue to work towards a more just and equal world for all. For more information, please see Ms Suzanne Walsh’s (Director of Identity) article.
Conscious that high achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectations (Kinder, 2014), a priority area for the College is to foster a learning culture of pride, self and collective efficacy and high standards. Our reimagined Lesson Routine (version 2.0) aims to ensure that we have a consistent approach of high expectations to cultivate classroom environments conducive to quality learning experiences and that reflect the principles of our Teaching & Learning Framework.
Click here to view our Teaching & Learning Framework
The NSW Government Education and Communities assert that ‘ineffective classroom management impacts negatively on time available for teaching’. Educators agree that effective strategies to create well-managed classrooms;
John Hattie, a leading educational researcher, is well known for his work with “effect sizes”. Effect sizes measure which influences have an impact on student learning (positive, neutral or negative). He determines these sizes through meta-analysis of over 1,000 meta-analyses. (Meta-analyses combine results of several studies that address a set of related research theories). 0.4 is considered the hinge point. This represents the average effect that can be expected from one year of schooling. For influences with an effect size less than 0.4, we should consider the energy, time and resources spent to support these as they indicate progress is occurring at less than average rates.
Hattie’s Effect
To that end, Hattie’s research supports the importance of high teacher expectations/estimate of student achievement (1.29) and highlights that classroom management (0.52) directly influences time on task (0.62) and enables effective class discussion (0.82).
Interestingly, Williamson (2012) suggests that a teacher’s expectations, either high or low, become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Students perform in ways that teachers expect. All the more compelling for Waverley to promote a culture of high expectations. Ferguson (2002) goes further to say that a teacher’s beliefs about student potential are particularly powerful for students with challenging home circumstances.
The College staff collectively agree that, to support a culture of high expectations, operating in positive and productive learning environments, our lesson routine needed to convey;
Our Lesson Routine is displayed in all classrooms and on Vivi splash screens. Our Wellbeing mentors have also gone through the shared expectations of the updated lesson routine. A respectful three-way partnership between teachers, students and families is critical for successful learning outcomes. I encourage you to engage in conversations with your son about the value of consistent routines and the importance of high expectations, not just of others but of self.
Thank you to the teachers who collaborated on this project: Ms Helen Barrie, Mr Ed Davis, Mr Lachlan Drew-Morris, Mr John McCallum, Ms Lynsey Porter, Mr Bill Roberts, Mr Ben Steel, Ms Melanie Stephens, Ms Jenna Turnbull and Ms Elizabeth Watson.
Click here to view our Lesson Routine (Years 5-10)
On Monday, 27 February, from 1:30pm-3:30pm, parents/carers are invited to meet their son’s Wellbeing Mentor via Zoom, to engage in a conversation that will help us to best cater to their needs in 2023. This important initiative supports our student Wellbeing program.
The purpose is to know as much as possible about each student, both in and out of the classroom. By identifying their goals, hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future, we can work together to bring about the best possible learning outcomes for your son. We rely on the three-way partnership formed between the College, families and your son for this to occur.
These meetings are in addition to Parent/Teacher academic interviews, which will also take place later in the semester.
Students in Years 7-12 will be dismissed at 1pm, because it is expected, where possible, that students will attend these meetings with their parents/carers. Limited supervision will be provided in the Library and in the Centenary Quad from 1pm-3:15pm.
Heads of House and our Psychologists are available to meet students and their families who may require additional support and assistance. Please email them directly if you wish to set up a meeting.
Click here to view contact details for our Heads of House
Click here to view contact details for our College Psychologists
Bookings can be made by logging into the Waverley College Parent Lounge via the parent landing page. Bookings will open at 9am on Saturday, 18 February and close at 5pm on Friday, 24 February.
Click here to access the Waverley College Parent Landing Page
If you are having issues accessing the portal please contact: iAssist at iassist@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Ms Gabby Smith
Deputy Principal – Students
gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 1 events, please refer to the College calendar.
After-school Spanish classes will begin on Monday, 27 February.
There are two sessions:
If you are interested, there are still some places available. Please email our receptionist ssanchez@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Junior School Parent Information Booklet is intended to inform you of the more detailed aspects of life at Waverley College Junior School. The first section deals with overall aspects of the College and the second section is more class specific. I hope that you get involved in the many facets of life at Waverley College and enjoy being part of our great community.
>>> Click here to view the Year 5 2023 Parent Information Booklet.
>>> Click here to view the Year 6 2023 Parent Information Booklet.
As of next week – Week 4B – the vending machines in the Junior School will be cashless. Unfortunately, students can’t use Flexischools but they accept EFTPOS cards, this can also be prepaid EFTPOS cards.
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Enrolments for the Sacrament of Confirmation at OLR Kensington will close on Thursday, 23 February. If your son is in Year 6 and previously attended OLR Primary, you are encouraged to enrol before this date to avoid missing out.
Click here for more information
In Week 5, students who wish to take on the role of Class Captains are encouraged to give a speech in front of their peers. They will have the responsibility of carrying out many different duties around the College, as well as attending important assemblies and meetings throughout the year.
You may wish to encourage your son, if you feel this is something he is interested in.
Some things for him to consider as part of his speech would be:
The first of several fund-raising and awareness raising initiatives begins with the sale of pancakes on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Ash Wednesday. All proceeds will go to Caritas Australia, our chosen organisation for the Lenten period. Pancakes will be sold within class for $2. We hope that the boys are able to enjoy this whilst supporting such a worthwhile cause.
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Junior School/Identity & Student Formation
sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
It was a great start to the Summer Co-Curricular season last weekend, with no weather or group closure interruptions and some outstanding results from teams. Round 2 continues tomorrow, Saturday, 18 February. I wish all teams the best of luck and ask them to please represent Waverley proudly.
Please ensure you refer to the Waverley College app announcements each week, as I will continue to send out the weekly Sports Fixtures for each round. Families can also locate all relevant Junior School Co-Curricular information through the College website by clicking the button below.
Click here to view all Junior School Co-curricular information on the College website
This past Monday, 13 February, Waverley Junior School chose four students to compete at the CIS Cricket trials at The King’s School in Parramatta. The students nominated included Oscar and Thomas Tindall, James Draper and Taj Gadd.
These students gave it their absolute all to impress selectors, and demonstrate their level of talent and experience in the sport of Cricket. Each student just missed out on making it through, but were truly proud of their efforts on the day. Waverley is very proud of all four students for representing the College so highly.
Oscar and Thomas Tindall, James Draper and Taj Gadd
I want to thank all families who signed up their son for any of the Extra Co-Curricular activities, for your patience on it all being finalised. It has been a busier start to the year than expected, which has made the process longer to finalise groups and get information out to those families.
All students who have been successful in making it into a group for Term 1, and continuing groups for last year, should now have been informed. This will have included any further information regarding the specific clubs and next week’s beginning date.
If your son does get selected, and it clashes with one of their sports training sessions, please let me know so that it can be recorded, and also so that their coach is informed.
To all families with a son attending the Armidale Rugby Tour in the Easter holidays, please see the below information regarding when training will commence prior to the tour.
All relevant information regarding the tour will begin to be distributed towards the end of the term, once training has begun.
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-Curricular (Years 5-8)
jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
What a wonderful start it has been in the classroom. Our students have come back from a long break with enthusiasm to learn, and have already embraced the challenges we have set for them academically.
Students have started to set SMART goals with their classroom teachers this week. Goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed will set our students up for success.
Students will set SMART goals each term, and I encourage you to sit down and discuss what your son wants to achieve this term. We know that having it recorded allows them to revisit their goal throughout the term, and build on strategies to make sure they achieve their goal/s. These goals can be found on Page 59 in the College Diary.
At the beginning of each term, I will provide a Curriculum Overview of what your son will be learning in the classroom. It is clearly set out so that you can see the subject and the topics being taught across the curriculum. I hope you find it a useful tool to support your son and encourage conversation around the learning that is taking place in the classroom.
>>> Click here to view the Year 5 Term 1 2023 Curriculum Overview.
>>> Click here to view the Year 6 Term 1 2023 Curriculum Overview.
Ms Charlotte Stephens
Assistant Director of Curriculum
cstephens@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.
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/carer 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 email us.
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.
Two of our readers are featured this week. This initiative has taken a positive uptake of students eager to share their reading habits, favourite books and their most recent book read. A nice reading atmosphere has been created in the Learning Hub as a result of this initiative.
Noah Nunn and Thomas Brown, our very own Junior School Waverley students, presented at our Lunchtime Talk on Tuesday.
The 3D print managers gave valuable tips on 3D printing, key elements for 3D design; simplicity, structure, size and recommended websites for creating your own designs.
The boys loved every minute of the presentation and had many questions for our 3D printing gurus.
A huge thank you to Noah and Tom for giving up their time to inspire the next generation of designers.
If you would like to volunteer to do a presentation, please email me directly at nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Learning Hub’s creative space helps students think critically and creatively. Additionally, it encourages student collaboration as they plan and construct their works.
I enjoy seeing the boys work in this area and listening to the students’ comments for design advice and methods, especially when their designs are completed successfully.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Here at Waverley, we strive for a holistic education for our students and recognise the importance of acknowledging and celebrating success in all its measures. It was with great delight that we were able to celebrate the scholastic successes of our 2022 Major Award winners this week at our Academic Reception.
The recipients are to be congratulated on their commitment, determination and hard work. These students understand that success does not come from luck or by accident, nor does it come from being in the right place at the right time.
It comes from having agency in your learning, believing in yourself, critical reflection and engagement, setting and executing goals, being curious and co-operative, stepping outside your comfort zone, having a growth mindset and developing good habits and routines.
Congratulations on your outstanding academic achievements!
In addition to our major award winners, we would like to congratulate the following Year 12 students who sat their Advanced Mathematics HSC exam last year as accelerated Year 11 students. They were honoured on the distinguished achievers roll for the 2022 HSC for achieving a Band 6 in Advanced Mathematics.
We congratulate these Year 12 students who sat their Advanced Mathematics HSC exam last year as accelerated Year 11 students. They were honoured on the distinguished achievers roll for the 2022 HSC for achieving a Band 6 in Advanced Mathematics.
Both students undertook a rigorous application process to be accepted into these illustrious programs. We are very proud of them.
Dear Parents and Carers,
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 15 and 24 March 2023.
Years 5 and 7 students will sit their test in Periods 1-2 and Year 9 students will sit their test in Periods 3-4.
Students must bring their fully-charged laptops and headphones to this session.
Excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online is not recommended. Students do not need to be able to touch type to complete NAPLAN Online as the tests are not about keyboard skills (just as the paper test is not about handwriting skills).
Students can use the public demonstration site to familiarise themselves with the types of questions and tools available in the NAPLAN Online tests.
Please click on this link 2023 NAPLAN Online – Information for parents and carers sheet for further information.
If you have any questions regarding this practice test, please contact either Ms Lynsey Porter (Director of Curriculum), Ms Charlotte Stephens (Assistant Director of Curriculum) (Junior School), or Mr David Parnell (Head of Learning Support).
Additional resources:
Furthermore, if parents or carers are interested in learning about strategies to support their son through NAPLAN, our Head of Academic Enrichment, Ms Helen Barrie, has prepared an informative webinar below.
Please take the time to view our impressive new nine-minute webinar where Ms Barrie outlines the Waverley College strategy for supporting student confidence in the lead up to NAPLAN testing.
https://youtu.be/rTeOj2PrVbU
Ms Lynsey Porter
Director of Curriculum
lporter@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This Tuesday, to mark the beginning of Lent, we will have our Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day.
All students are asked to donate a packet of six large pancakes and then at LUNCHTIME in the Centenary Quad, we will be selling pancakes, ice cream and syrup for $3.
Pancake packets can be left at the Wellbeing centre on Monday or before school on Tuesday.
All funds raised from this SRC event will be given to Project Compassion. Thank you in advance for supporting this fabulous initiative.
Shrove Tuesday 2022
Shrove Tuesday 2021
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As per the College Diary, this is a reminder that the Year 9 Elevate Session, Study Skills Kickstart will be held in Period 1 on Tuesday, 21 February, 2023.
Students are asked to arrive promptly at the following allocated rooming:
Students are required to bring a pen to the session.
This session is delivered by a group of recent successful graduates and will cover:
The webinars are held fortnightly on Wednesday evenings.
Click here for further information
This week, I’m delighted to introduce a fresh College initiative to support the health and wellbeing of students at Waverley. Our new Therapy Dog, Mabel! Our new College Psychologist, Ms Samantha Jessen, has recently completed specialised training through Therapy Dogs Australia, and with Mabel she is now a certified human-canine therapy team.
Mabel is a 17-month-old blonde Golden Retriever. Because research continues to acknowledge the positive, healing impact that animals have on our health and wellbeing, supporting student engagement, social skill development and calming, we expect that student interaction with Mabel will deliver numerous social, emotional and physiological benefits.
Student interaction with Mabel is voluntary. A Risk Management Plan is in place, however we appreciate that some parents/carers may still have concerns about their child’s interaction with an animal within the Waverley College environment.
To this end, we have prepared a ‘Meeting Mabel – Opt Out’ form for parents/carers who would like to exercise this choice.
We encourage you to take the time to:
Ms Gabby Smith
Deputy Principal – Students
gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Recently, Radio National’s ‘The Minefield’ aired a wonderful discussion on literacy entitled ‘What does it mean to be literate – and is it under threat?’
Click here to listen to the Radio National discussion
At the forefront of this discussion is the problem which resonates with everyone who works in education (and possibly every parent/carer) – a resistance to spending time reading in favour of the quick swipe, the speedy scan, the info grab. Again – let’s blame the usual culprits – TikTok, Insta, Snapchat!
Few of us – adults, teens and children – have time for books which require deep reading, focused attention, effort even. Apparently, we prefer words we just have to look at rather than words we have to read and actually process and think about. In doing so, however, we are missing out on actually improving our literacy.
To quote the program’s guest speaker, Maryanne Wolf (Director of the Center for Dyslexia, Diverse Learners, and Social Justice at the University of California in Los Angeles), “The time and cognitive-resource-demanding requirements of the deep reading process is getting lost in the transition from a literacy-based culture to a digital age.”
As an English and Literacy teacher of teens saturated in digital media, who knows all too well the challenges students face when presented with difficult texts, I have set myself the goal of ensuring that students ‘read deeply’ as often as possible. Yes, we will practise the skills of ‘skimming, scanning, sifting’. Students are already quite adept at this.
It is the making of connections that requires real effort, but brings the greatest reward. Through deep reading, students allow themselves to be surprised and moved somehow by what they read, because they bother to make the effort to connect with what they already know about themselves, and about life in the real world (not the digital world).
In our Year 7 and Year 8 Library Reading classes, our goal is to ensure that students read for pleasure. If students can read deeply for just 20-30 minutes, they will also improve their ability to read for pleasure, while becoming truly literate.
As quoted in the radio program ‘The Minefield’, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said: “When I read a poem or narrative with feeling, surely something goes on in me which does not go on when I merely skim the lines for information.” We know it won’t happen immediately, but with this single, simple message and a good book in hand, that ‘something’ is sure to happen for our students at Waverley College in 2023.
All Year 7 students have been given a NAPLAN writing booklet to complete for home-learning over the next few weeks in preparation for the NAPLAN writing test in Week 7. All the resources can be located on the Year 7 English CANVAS page.
If parents/carers or students have any questions or enquiries about this work, please email Ms Mary Ryan at mryan01@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This is just one aspect of a holistic approach by all teachers to ensure that students in both Year 7 and Year 9 are well prepared for the NAPLAN tests taking place in Term 1 this year.
For nearly 20 years, the Whitlam Institute’s ‘What Matters? Writing Competition’ has been empowering students to raise their voices and feel that their perspectives are valuable, no matter their age, background or point of view.
Part writing exercise, part civics and citizenship activity, ‘What Matters?’ is the perfect platform for students to express what they care about and why.
Visit their website to learn more about the competition, get inspired by past entries, explore classroom resources, and view the amazing prizes on offer.
Click here to view information about the What Matters Writing Competition
Entries can be fiction, non-fiction, poetry or prose of 600 words or less, and can be submitted quickly online.
Entries close Friday, 5 May 2023.
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
