>>> Click here to view the weekly Careers newsletter.
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
E: kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Parents and Carers
The Principal, Mr Graham Leddie, will be on leave for likely the next two weeks. Unfortunately, Graham will undergo back surgery this Saturday morning. We wish him all the best with the surgery and a speedy recovery. Please direct any queries or issues to myself and I will be happy to respond as quickly as possible.
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Student & Staff Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Thursday, students identified as ‘upstanders’ in the 2022 Wellbeing Survey, along with members of the SRC and Prefect groups, attended a special lunch with special guest, David Leser.
David Leser is an award-winning feature writer who has worked for The Australian, The Sydney Morning Herald, HQ, The Bulletin, Good Weekend, The Australian Women’s Weekly, Vanity Fair, Newsweek and The Daily Beast.
He is a four-times Walkley finalist and Walkley winner for feature writing for ‘Who’s Afraid of Alan Jones?‘ He has also won three Magazine Publishers Association awards.
In 2018, the Good Weekend cover story by David Leser – ‘Women, Men and the Whole Damn Thing’ – had an unprecedented response from readers both in Australia and around the world. The public reaction to the article was extraordinary, and included hundreds of personal messages urging David to expand his story.
Former College Captain and member of the PDHPE staff, Lachlan Drew Morris, critiqued David’s book before David presented to the 80 students in attendance. Students were then encouraged to ask their own questions about toxic male masculinity and gender equality, in an insightful Q&A session.
| 20/5/22 | COVID-19 | Close Contacts |
| Year 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Year 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Year 7 | 1 | 2 |
| Year 8 | 1 | 4 |
| Year 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Year 10 | 0 | 1 |
| Year 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Year 12 | 0 | 0 |
| Staff | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 5 | 7 |
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Student & Staff Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With Years 7-10 Half-Yearly Examinations commencing next week and a number of assessment tasks scheduled through to the end of the term across all year groups, students should be developing and maintaining effective home learning habits, as per the Home Learning section of the College Diary. This is particularly important in terms of study beyond the work set by the teacher.
The Year 11 Elevate Study Skills session next Wednesday, 25 May is one of many sessions throughout the year that are mapped across the Years 7-12 curriculum to support students in developing good independent learning habits. Students are first introduced to these sessions at the start of Year 7 with Dr Prue Salter’s Study Skills session, where she covers a range of information/ strategies for making effective study notes, creating a productive study environment, planning time for home learning, and the benefits of becoming an independent learner.
This year, a working group of teachers has developed an initiative to embed these skills into Stage 4 formative tasks, leading up to examination periods. The first stage of this initiative is currently taking place in Year 7 Geography and Science, where students are taught how to create effective mind-maps as they study for half-yearly examinations and prepare Term 2 assessment tasks.
One impressive example of this initiative happened this week in Mr Nicholas Sposari’s Year 7 Geography class. His students created powerful mind-maps to prepare for their assessments.
“Drawn from their excursion to Centennial Park, they organised relevant information, used colour to express important concepts of key ideas, and represented connections between ideas. This flexible preparation is part of the Stage 4 Study Skills project that Mrs Lynsey Porter (Director of Curriculum) leads.” – Mr Nicholas Sposari (Teacher).
For the next phase of the initiative, Languages will work with Year 8 students in Spanish in their formative task leading up to the yearly examinations. We look forward to reviewing the impact of these tasks on the way students approach their study, and we will continue to work to support students in their study habits.
You can learn more on the Study Skills website.
>>> Click here to view more information on the Study Skills website.
Our College’s subscription details to the Study Skills Handbook are:
Username: forwaverleycollegeonly
Password: 94results
The Study Skills website also offers tips on writing assessment tasks for submission. A summary of these tips is outlined below.
When helping students with assignments, the focus is often just on the research process. These tips will focus on getting started with the writing.
Mrs Lynsey Porter
Director of Curriculum
E: lporter@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Please find below some reminders about key events you need to be aware of, for the Junior School in Term 2. For all of the College events, please refer to the College calendar.
On Friday, 27 May, the Junior School Campus will be hosting a mufti day to raise money to contribute to the cause of curing cancer. Our very own member of staff, Mr Thomas Olds, will be competing in the Stars of the East Dance competition, and has so far been raising money through the generosity and support of many Waverley families. He has expressed his gratitude for the Waverley Community, and has been truly touched that so many families have donated to support him and the cause.
Mr Olds Has Dusted Off His Dancing Shoes
There really has been such a wonderful response from our community and families, and I am so excited to perform for a number of them that have not only donated, but have purchased front row tickets to the night. Initially, I was quite nervous and insecure about stepping out of my comfort zone and dancing in front of people, but the enormous support being shown has allowed me to relax and get stuck into my dance practice sessions. So again, I want to thank everyone who has donated so generously and express that the donation link is still active for anyone else who would like to contribute. – Mr Thomas Olds
Should you be willing to donate directly to his page, you can click the link below.
>>> Click here to donate directly to the page of Thomas Olds.
*Boys wearing mufti will need to bring a donation, and they also have the option to order a sausage, which can be pre-ordered through Flexischools for $5.
We are so excited to already have 75 people register for our Waverley team in the City2Surf on 14 August, and have already raised over $5,000 for local charity, ‘Running for Premature Babies.’ There’s still time to join and help us reach our goal to raise $10,000. Can you help?
>>> Click here to view the Nurrunga article to find out more and how to register.
A reminder for students who would like to participate in the 2022 WriteOn Competition – further information is in the link below:
>>> Click here to view information about the WriteOn Competition for 2022.
Mrs Gabby Smith
Director of Junior School
E: gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au
A friendly reminder that we are eagerly seeking raffle prize donations for our Edmund Rice Day.
We are hoping to have donations in by Friday, 21 May, so that we can start selling tickets the following week.
If you are able to donate a prize, we would deeply appreciate your generosity.
Please send prizes to Mrs Coupe at the Junior School front office.
Should you have any questions about prizes, please email Mr Stephen Ghattas.
Thank you for your support!
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Identity & Student Formation
E: sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
>>> Click here to register your son.
If your son is unable to attend, please email the College at nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au or call reception.
If you would like your son to compete in the 2021 ICAS Competitions, you will be asked to nominate the competitions in which you would like him to be entered, via the Parent Payment System. At the Junior School, the following ICAS competitions are offered: Writing & Digital Technologies, Science & Spelling Bee, English and Mathematics. This year all the competitions will be held in August / September, Term 3 and will be completed before school in the Learning Hub. Dates and times will be confirmed in Term 3.
>>> Click here to register your son.
Through this system, parents can pay for ICAS directly online, while tests will still be held at our school. Please use the school’s access code details to register your child.
Waverley’s School Access Code UUD072
Please consider carefully before choosing this enrichment opportunity for your son. It is a rigorous competition with many questions set beyond grade level. Participants are required to demonstrate a deeper, integrated and thorough level of learning. If you are unsure of your son’s suitability, please consult with his teacher.
>>> Click here for more information about the assessments.
If you require additional support registering your son, phone the customer service team on 1800 931 775 (Australian Toll-Free).
Our Junior School boys had an insightful Lunchtime Talk with guest speaker Ms Marie-Anne Maakrun, who is not only a talented cartoonist, but also the Assistant Director of Identity & Student Formation in our Senior School, and Commerce, Legal Studies and Economics teacher.
It was a full house, with aspiring creative students wanting to learn all about the world of drawing, in particular cartoons and caricatures.
Thank you Ms Maakrun for taking the time to inspire our creative Junior School students.
If you would like to volunteer to do a presentation, please email me directly at nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
E: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Concussion and serious injuries in sport are becoming an ever-increasing issue that should be taken very seriously. Waverley College places the health and wellbeing of your son first, as a major priority.
Any suspected concussion or serious injury by a medic, physiotherapist or coach is reported, and medical clearance is required for your son to return to sport. In most cases, the recovery time for concussion is a minimum of two to three weeks.
If your son is experiencing some of the following symptoms after or during a training or a game, please make sure that you take them to a doctor to get examined, or have the Queens Park/Opposition medic assess your son, to determine the seriousness of the knock:
The same policy applies with serious injuries during games or training. If your son is concussed or seriously injured playing sport outside of the College, it is the responsibility of the player and parents to notify the Head of Junior Sport and the Convenor of that sport.
*No parents or carers should ever be making decisions for their son to return to playing or training if their son has been potentially concussed or injured. Please leave that decision to the professional medics, physiotherapist or coaches.
Please read carefully, by clicking the link below.
>>> Click here to view our current Concussion Policy.
*Please follow the link above to ensure you are up to date with any changes to fixtures for this weekend. Please keep a close eye on the Waverley College app for any adjustments due to weather conditions and field closures.
Although all AFL games and one Rugby game were cancelled, it was a great round of sport for all other Waverley Junior School teams. The sun was shining and we had a lot of muddy teams, who battled it out in difficult conditions. All teams gave it their all, regardless of the final result, which is most pleasing.
I encourage boys to keep giving their all, attending all training and games to best support full participation for their team. Thank you to all the parents and students who have supported other teams who have struggled for numbers from week to week. Myself, coaches and convenors greatly appreciate and acknowledge this.
11C1 Rugby Team v Riverview
Prep 1st Rugby v St Pius at Walsh Oval (20-point win!)
Prep 1st Rugby v St Pius at Walsh Oval (20-point win!)
Dean Leontsinis, Lukas Pendelton, Beau Metheson-Rayner
As mentioned in previous weeks, it has been amazing to see the enjoyment and involvement from all students in the Extra Co-Curricular activities undertaken each week. Students have been truly diving in on learning new skills and making the most of each session.
Parents who currently have a son involved in one of the Extra Co-Curricular Activities, please continue to refer to the Schedule in the link below.
>>> Click here to view the Extra Co-curricular Term 2 Sessions Schedule.
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-curricular (Years 5-8)
E: jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
This classroom is forever busy. I am happy to say they are making me work very hard to try to keep up with their commitment and output of quality work.
The boys really enjoy activities where they have to research and present using our College CANVAS platform as an instructional guide. If a student is sick or has to miss school, they nearly always ask to be included via Google Meet, to feel a part of the lessons.
The students do excel in independent learning, and are always open to collaborative learning with their peers.
The reports I receive from their specialist teachers are always positive. They consistently mention that they are among the most productive group in the school, who adapt to any learning situation.
I am blessed as a teacher to have these 26 special boys.
Mr Anthony Stanton
6 White Teacher
E: astanton@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Please find below the schedule for the Year 12 Tutorials in Term 2, Week 5. Topics covered during the tutorials include content revision, study skills, exam preparation and practice papers. These tutorials have proven extremely valuable and, while not compulsory, are strongly encouraged.
It is important that we know attendance numbers so teachers can prepare accordingly. To that end, the expectation is that students who register for the tutorial, attend. Rolls will be taken to assist us to manage the program. Should numbers fall below five, we may not be able to run that particular session.
Mrs Lauren Ryan has emailed the registration sheet to students to register their attendance at the tutorials.
| Date | Subject | Time | Room | Teacher |
|
Monday, 23 May 2022
|
Mathematics Standard | 7:30am – 8:30am | E35 | Nicola Silsby |
| Mathematics Advanced | 7:30am – 8:30am | E15 | Sharon Chandler | |
| Business Studies | 3:30pm – 5pm | W33 | Adam Wallington | |
| SOR II | 3:30pm – 5pm | W22A | Cath Stewart/ Martina Cooper |
|
|
Tuesday, 24 May 2022
|
Mathematics Standard | 7:30am – 8:30am | E42 | Phoebe Guirguis |
| Mathematics Extension 1 | 3:30pm – 5pm | E32 | Steven Hall | |
|
Wednesday, 25 May 2022
|
Biology | 7:30am – 8:30am | E02 | Richard Chen |
| Business Studies | 3:30pm – 5pm | W33 | Adam Wallington | |
| Drama | 3:30pm – 5pm | P118 | Alison Jinga/ Peter Lamb | |
| PDHPE | 3:30pm – 5pm | GHR | Kaitlyn Downey | |
|
Thursday, 26 May 2022
|
Design and Technology | 7:15am – 8:30am | T04 | James Spargo |
| Spanish | 7:45am – 8:30am | W24 | Daniel Kroll | |
| Visual Arts | 3:30pm – 5pm | C11 | Natalie Oates | |
| Ancient History | 3:30pm – 4:30pm | K11 | Nicholas Brophy | |
|
Friday, 27 May 2022
|
Industrial Technology (Multimedia) | 7:15am – 8:15am | W32A | Anthony Gibbs |
| Music 2 | 7:30am – 8:30am | P14 | Chris Balkizas | |
| Chemistry | 7:30am – 8:30am | E04 | Gary Kennedy |
Mrs Elizabeth Watson
Deputy Principal – Teaching & Learning
E: ewatson@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Have you booked your tickets to the Waverley College Year 10 (2021) Dinner Dance?
*Ticket bookings close on Sunday, so please book now if you haven’t purchased tickets.
This event provides a formal social opportunity for boys to host a partner at a dinner cruise on Sydney Harbour. This is a part of our Wellbeing Framework promoting respectful relationships.
Date: Thursday, 26 May 2022
Time: 6pm – 10pm (meet at Star City Casino Wharf at 5:30pm)
Venue: Bella Vista Cruise Ship
Embark/Disembark: 6pm Star City Casino Wharf, Pirrama Road, Pyrmont
Dress: Smart formal for all guests
Cost: $100 per person, which includes four hours of cruising, a three-course meal, unlimited soft drinks/juice package, DJ and security
Should you have any further questions, please email Ms Suzi Sucur (Administrator Wellbeing Centre)
Mr Patrick Brennan
Deputy Principal – Staff and Student Wellbeing
E: pbrennan@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Well done to all teams and activities on some impressive performances last weekend, including Debating against St Clare’s on Friday evening, all U13 Rugby teams, and especially the 13Fs who travelled out to Oakhill for a comprehensive win, as well as our 1sts Football and Rugby teams who were tremendous in their victories.
Winter Co-curricular Uniform
Full College Winter Uniform
This week, we are away to Barker for Football and Tennis, and away to Newington for Rugby.
This Friday evening our 1sts AFL team is playing against Cranbrook at Bat & Ball oval in Moore Park at 7pm. We encourage as many members of the College community to come and support.
*All students must be in full Waverley attire, otherwise they will not be permitted to stay.
Our Prep 1sts Football and Rugby are also playing home games on the upper fields at Queens Park on Saturday morning, and we would also love to see as many senior students as possible supporting these future stars.
Seniors, Come and Support Prep 1st Rugby this Saturday, upper fields, Queens Park!
We had a number of students this week selected for CAS Football for both 1sts and U16s. Thank you to Mr Patrick Darvill for once again putting his hand up to coach the CAS 1sts Football.
Congratulations to the following students – it is brilliant to see such a number of our players recognised for their efforts thus far in 2022:
These players will represent CAS and the NSWCIS Football Championships on May 23-24, and is the pathway to NSW and Australian Schools Football selections. We wish all of these boys well.
Emilio Vinci (in 2021)
Good luck to all teams and activities this weekend.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Last weekend, Waverley College Rugby enjoyed a competitive fixture against Shore. On the day, from the 21 matches played, Waverley secured 12 wins with 1 draw. It is pleasing to see that teams continue to improve, despite the challenges of illness impacting the College community.
1st XV
Congratulations must go to the 1st XV who enjoyed their first ‘Custard Pie’ at Queens Park for the season. The Double V’s hard work at training leading into the game, certainly paid dividends.
Opens Age Group
We would also like to commend the Opens Age Group. Despite going down in the 3rds and 5ths, all the matches were very competitive, and the effort from these young men was nothing short of gutsy. Due to illness impacting this age group, a number of students had to back up in two or three matches. Congratulations on displaying that courageous attitude for your school – we are proud of you.
16A
The highlight of the day certainly came from the 16A team, who to continue to play such an exciting brand of rugby. The running rugby on display is terrific to watch, and is a refreshing reminder of the entertainment which ‘the game they play in heaven’ can deliver to those playing and those watching on the sidelines.
This weekend, our teams will play GPS school, Newington College. We anticipate that all matches will be competitive, which will help our teams in the lead into the CAS season, which is only a couple of weeks away. The 14s and 15s age groups finally have the opportunity of playing on our home ground, Queens Park, while our 13s, 16s and Opens will hit the road this weekend, to travel to Stanmore in the Inner West of Sydney.
A highlight which many Old Boys will often share about their days at Waverley College, is the memory of running out onto QP1 for the very first time. This weekend, we are thrilled to have our Prep 1sts team playing on the hallowed turf of Queens Park #1. Kick-off is at 8am, and we would love to see plenty of support for our young men. We wish these students all the very best of luck!
The Rugby Supporters’ Club are looking for parents, carers and friends of students in the 14s and 15s age groups, to assist on the canteen this Saturday. Any support, even for a period of one hour, would be very much appreciated. The canteen will be operating between the hours of 8am – 1pm.
Should any parents, carers and friends be free to assist at any stage this Saturday (or any Saturday throughout the season when the 14s and 15s are playing at Queens Park), please register your interests on the 2022 online roster below.
>>> Click here to register your interest and sign up.
*As a note, we will only be operating the canteen this weekend (no BBQ). Thank you for your support in advance!
We are looking for students who are interesting in writing 250-word (or less) match reports/match highlights.
This is so we can let the community know how their team performs each weekend. Interested students can email articles to Mr McCoy at jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
A weekly prize is up for grabs for the most entertaining articles!
Good luck to all teams this weekend – particularly our mighty Prep 1sts team playing on QP1 for the first time!
WAVERLEY TO WIN!
Mr John McCoy
Convenor of Rugby
E: jmccoy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Wearing very thick wetsuits and big smiles, Year 12 Marine Studies students successfully completed their PADI Open Water Diving Certification last Thursday and Friday under the instruction of Abyss Scuba Diving.
Students were required to complete 10 hours of coursework, demonstrate a large number of diving skills in the pool and the ocean, and then complete four open water dives. This required a lot of focus and resilience as COVID-19 has pushed our course back to the colder months!
Practising the confined water skills
During our dives at Camp Cove and around Bare Island, we saw wobbegongs, an angel shark, octopuses, stingrays, a seahorse and a very friendly grouper.
Congratulations to the following students for achieving this award, which has opened up their eyes to a whole new world under the sea!
AJ Preketes, Aodan Byrne, Charlie Elmes, Dylan McCulloch, Gabriel Portolan, Gabriel Woodward, Gus Oliver, Henry Kopsiaftis, James Garrop, Leo Astridge, Owen Punch, Thomas Gillespie, Thomas Kenny and Toby Ryan.
Tom Kenny
Ms Gemma Brown
Head of Science
E: gbrown@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Wednesday, 4 May, Waverley College’s Students of the World Ecology Group were invited to a Design Thinking Workshop at St Clare’s College, run by Netnada, a company that measures carbon footprinting.
Upon arriving at St Clare’s and after a few flights of stairs (something the Waverley boys are very comfortable with), we entered a room filled with whiteboards. There were two very friendly instructors from Netnada, who would be helping us through this brainstorming process, and 10 St Clare’s students from their Environmental Group.
We were divided into four groups, each with a mix of St Clare’s and Waverley students. After a few thinking exercises and enlightening conversations, it was time to draw and write out our ideas.
The instructors guided us through a step-by-step process of how to create strategies to tackle both College’s waste issues. This involved timed responses, creative construction of who our ‘customers’ are, and how they think, to help us to pinpoint the best way(s) forward. The interesting discovery was the realisation that both boys and girls have more in common when it comes to waste – and what to do with it – than we thought.
It was an amazing experience and some incredible ideas were put on the table – both literally and metaphorically. Thanks to this workshop, both Colleges now have a firm idea about what to do next, in the battle to educate and change the behaviour of students and staff in our own war on waste.
The future is bright for the ecological situation at both St Clare’s and Waverley College. We are so thankful for the experiences we had.
Lachlan Isaac (Year 9) and Ms Rebecca Sutcliffe
Ecology Coordinator
E: rsutcliffe@waverley.nsw.edu.au
A terrific group of Year 11 students ably represented Waverley College at an Interfaith Dialogue gathering on Wednesday, 11 May. They met at the Great Synagogue in the city to join with representatives from other schools including Emanuel School, Moriah College and Stella Maris College, Manly.
There they engaged in dialogue and activities on current issues pertinent to their lives. They demonstrated how Catholics pray, and showed the Waverley College rosary beads and a presentation on the May Procession.
Mr JP Boumelhem and Mr David Edwards accompanied the students, and said that they were excellent ambassadors for Waverley College in terms of uniform, enthusiasm and engagement.
Ms Martina Cooper
Head of Religion
E: mcooper@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
Watch our video
