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
It is essential to subscribe to the Waverley app, because the College uses the app as its central portal to communicate with parents/carers. We send regular updates through the app.
The username you need for the Parent Lounge within the app is your email address, the same one that you use to access the Parent Lounge online, where you book Parent/Teacher interviews and obtain school reports.
You can download the app by searching ‘Waverley College’ in the App Store or via Google Play. Please be sure to check your subscriptions/Year Groups are correct for 2024. This can be done by clicking Settings > Subscriptions > Tags and searching all groups that are relevant for your family in 2024.
Download the instructions HERE.
Important College notices, contacts calendar, Parent Lounge, co-curricular, absences, maps and links are also available via the Waverley College app.
Should you have any questions, suggestions about the user experience, or are having technical issues, please contact app@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
Our House and College Captains were privileged to be part of the Inaugural EREA Student leaders Symposium held at St Pius’ College in Oxford Falls on Monday, 26 February. The theme of the day was “Seek to Serve – Stronger Together.”
The aim of the day was threefold:
Our leaders represented the College with distinction and enjoyed interacting with the other leaders. It was great to hear such wonderful ideas on ways to live out our faith and the enthusiasm exhibited throughout the day.
You are invited to join the St Vincent’s Community to hear how Gemma built and continues to grow The School of St Jude in Tanzania. She will tell her story of adventure, of a love too deep for words, of her passion to overcome poverty through education, and how she made her dream a reality for thousands of children and their families.
When: Friday, 1 March 2024, 6:30pm-8pm
Where: St Vincent’s College Hall, Rockwell Street Potts Point
Cost: Free!
Register: HERE
Light refreshments will be served.
More information: HERE
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Mission and Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As technology advances and our world faces new challenges, Australia’s intelligence and cyber capabilities are increasingly important – and jobs in cyber security and tech are crucial to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all Australians.
The Year13 Team recently asked their audience some questions about careers in cyber security and signals intelligence, as well as the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), who work in the foreign signals intelligence and cyber security space.
87% of respondents said they had never heard of the Australian Signals Directorate and 91% said they don’t know what the ASD do to protect Australians. However, 35% of people we asked said they would be interested in a career in cyber security or signals intelligence.
Additionally, 44% of people said that unique, challenging and rewarding work is the most important thing when choosing a career, more than a competitive salary (24%), broad career paths (11%) and getting real-world experience (21%). Working at ASD ticks all those boxes.
A career at ASD provides exciting opportunities in:
Applications are open and close 7 April 2024.
Learn more about ASD’s entry-level programs HERE
View the Week 5 Careers Newsletter HERE
Please see me if you require any further assistance or information.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator
kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
As per the College Diary, this is a reminder that the Year 11 Elevate Session, Ace Your Exams, is held during Period 1 on Wednesday, 6 March 2024.
This is a compulsory session for HSC plus ATAR Students who will attend the session in their timetabled classes. This session is delivered by a group of recent successful graduates and will cover:
Further details can be found HERE
Dear Students, Parents and Carers,
Please find below the schedule for the Year 12 Tutorials in Term 1, Week 6.
*These tutorials apply to Year 11 students undertaking an HSC subject in 2024.
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.
| Date | Subject | Time | Staff | Room |
|
Monday, 4 March 2024
|
Legal Studies | 7:15am – 8:15am | Theodorou | W32 |
| Studies of Religion II | 3:30pm – 5pm | Cooper/ Stewart | E40 | |
| Tuesday, 5 March 2024 | Maths Standard 2 | 7:30am – 8:30am | P Cornish/Silsby | E33 |
|
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
|
Maths Advanced | 7:30am – 8:30am | Riley/Mountfort | E23 |
| Modern/Ancient History | 3:30pm -4:30pm | Brophy/Diamadis | K11 | |
| Thursday, 7 March 2024 | Industrial tech multimedia | 3:30pm -4:30pm | Gibbs | W32A |
| Friday, 8 March 2024 | Hospitality | 7am – 8am | B McCarthy | TF1 |
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.
The cut-off time to register for morning tutorials is 3pm the day prior.
Ms Brooke Kent has emailed the registration sheet to students to register their attendance at the tutorials.
Ms Martina Cooper
Director of Curriculum
mcooper@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Students, Parents and Carers,
Please find below the schedule for the Year 12 Tutorials in Term 1, Week 6.
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.
| Date | Subject | Time | Staff | Room |
|
Monday, 4 March 2024
|
Legal Studies | 7:15am – 8:15am | Theodorou | W32 |
| Studies of Religion II | 3:30pm – 5pm | Cooper/ Stewart | E40 | |
| Tuesday, 5 March 2024 | Maths Standard 2 | 7:30am – 8:30am | P Cornish/Silsby | E33 |
|
Wednesday, 6 March 2024
|
Maths Advanced | 7:30am – 8:30am | Riley/Mountfort | E23 |
| Modern/Ancient History | 3:30pm -4:30pm | Brophy/Diamadis | K11 | |
| Thursday, 7 March 2024 | Industrial tech multimedia | 3:30pm -4:30pm | Gibbs | W32A |
| Friday, 8 March 2024 | Hospitality | 7am – 8am | B McCarthy | TF1 |
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.
The cut-off time to register for morning tutorials is 3pm the day prior.
Ms Brooke Kent has emailed the registration sheet to students to register their attendance at the tutorials.
Ms Martina Cooper
Director of Curriculum
mcooper@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Year 11 Families,
Access to Dr Salter’s Year 11 study skills session closes in one week. Please take advantage of this valuable learning opportunity before access ends on 5 March 2024.
Access HERE
Username: waverley11
Password: expires5march
Ms Martina Cooper
Director of Curriculum
mcooper@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Click HERE
We are rapidly moving towards the end of the Summer season with two more weekends for the Senior School and three more for Junior School teams.
Our 1sts Touch Football had a great result against Trinity last weekend, and our Swim Squad performed really well at the annual Christian Brothers Swimming Carnival on Saturday evening to take out both the overall and intermediate shields, despite missing a number of swimmers due to a range of other events last weekend.
2024 annual Christian Brothers Swimming Carnival
Well done also to Aarush Soni, Hunter Eldridge and Jono McDonald who were part of the CAS 1st XI Cricket who chased a big ISA total in an impressive victory on Sunday. These boys will be also part of the team playing GPS this Sunday.
CAS 1st XI Cricket
This week we are playing local rivals Cranbrook in most activities, and I want to remind all students and parents/carers to ensure that Codes of Conduct are adhered to at all times.
View the CAS Code of Conduct HERE
Last weekend we also had a number of students competing in a range of events. This included metSEA Swimming, Branch Nippers and State Oztag.
Well done to all of these students and especially to the U15s South Sydney Oztag team which won the State titles.
State Oztag Under 15 Champions
The U13 Easts Oztag State Cup team comprised Oscar Mac Domhnaill, Jackson MacAskill, Kai Kolster, Oliver O’Donnell, Talin Opai, Hugo Cummins, Joesph Di Blasio, Jack Baker Sedgman and Louis Coleman, who competed at the NSW State Oztag Championships in Coffs Harbour.
The boys played 6 games and won 4, showing sportsmanship, skill and determination in every game. The team finished 3rd in their pool, making it an amazing achievement. Oscar Mac Domhnaill and Jackson MacAskill were awarded MVPs.
We also have received a number of requests for students to attend both the State and National Surf Lifesaving titles, based on their recent performances. If there are any other students requesting leave to attend these, can I please request these are submitted asap.
We also have some key dates coming up this Term in regards to the co-curricular calendar:
Good luck to all teams and activities this coming weekend.
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
