Graham Leddie commenced his appointment as Deputy Head of College at Waverley College in January 2016.
Mr Leddie is responsible for student wellbeing at the College including its design, development, implementation and evaluation. He chairs the College executive’s operational meetings and supports the Head of College in the overall strategic development of the school.
He is passionate about boys’ education and believes that their learning outcomes are closely linked to the quality of the teacher and also the students’ social and emotional wellbeing. “A wellbeing programme needs to focus on developing a boy’s heart, mind, body and soul. Key elements include the building of positive relationships, integrity, compassion, humility, tolerance, resilience and moral courage,” he said.
Head of College Ray Paxton, welcomed Graham Leddie to the College community.
“Graham’s work with EREA [Edmund Rice Education Australia] schools speaks for itself and he brings invaluable experience and talent in leadership and learning.” said Mr Paxton.
Graham Leddie speaks with Ray Paxton
“Waverley College is at the forefront of Catholic education in Australia and has a strategic direction to liberate the potential of every learner, I am excited to be a part of the College as it continues to educate young men, challenging them to actively reflect on their learning and to develop habits that help them become lifelong learners.” said Mr Leddie.
Prior to his appointment at Waverley College, Mr Leddie was Deputy Principal at St Joseph’s Nudgee College in Queensland, an Edmund Rice School which participates in the GPS Association. Prior to the role as deputy he held two other senior positions as Dean of Administration and Dean of Learning and Teaching. During his early teaching career he worked at the Rockhampton Grammar School and SCECGS Redlands.
Mr Leddie shared some of the highlights from his time at Nudgee:
“Being a Boarding school, I got to work with a diverse range of boys from all over QLD, NT, NSW and the Pacific Islands. Some boys had only ever been educated by the School of Distance Education when they arrived; others had come off properties so large it took them an hour to drive from home to the front gate.
Whilst at Nudgee I was able to challenge myself on both staff and student immersions, including to India, Cambodia and Buru (an indigenous Community in Far North Queensland). These experiences developed my understanding of cross-cultural and inter-religious dialogue while also giving me a greater understanding of the educational needs of people at the margins.
I was part of a team that developed a whole-school learning framework. Common language and practices were embedded across the school with all key stakeholders playing their part. Overall academic achievement improved and our students ended up with better choices when they graduated.
Deputy Head of College, Graham Leddie
I particularly enjoyed working with the College’s Indigenous Education Program which was part of Andrew Penfold’s National AIEF Scholarship program. This sought to create experiences that encouraged Indigenous students to find their path and transform their and their communities futures. One opportunity also saw me take three boys to Rome for the Canonization of Mary MacKillop where they danced at the Vatican.
Part of my portfolio at Nudgee was to create dynamic, technologically driven learning and play spaces and to rejuvenate a tired campus. The College spent over $50M over ten years and upgraded all of its facilities. Working closely with the architects and builders I was able to bring significant change to the learning and work spaces at the College.
Nudgee was previously a Years 8-12 school. Eight years ago I coordinated the process to start up a Junior School. All of the approvals, staffing, planning, development of the facility, procedures and policies were my responsibility. Year 7 students were transferred to high school in Queensland only in the last two years and the Junior school is now full.
When I first started at Nudgee, most of the schools in the Queensland GPS system rowed, but Nudgee did not. I started the program and developed a very positive culture across the shed. We started with 25 boys in Year 8 and built up each year. In our second year of open competition we won the Head of the River. After 14 years of open competition Nudgee has won 7 Heads of River and five overall points championships. Last year we won the National VIII Rowing Championship Schoolboy VIII race ahead of Joey’s, Melbourne Grammar and SHORE.”
On a personal note, Graham has two children, Hamish in primary school and Laura in high school. He loves most sports and the outdoors. He has climbed many mountains around the world including Aconcagua and Kilimanjaro. He was educated at Sydney Grammar, is the youngest of 3 boys and holds a Masters of Educational Leadership and a Masters of Religious Education from the Australian Catholic University and Boston College. Recently he completed the Business Executive Program at the Stanford Business School where he focused on developing innovative practices, strategic leadership in dynamic environments, managing bias in strategic judgement and strategic crisis management.
The Drama Department are pleased to announce Drama classes after school for Year 8 students. Classes are from 3.30pm to 5pm and it’s free! The classes will be held on non-sport training days. (Days to be confirmed.)
If you are interested in Drama and think you might take it as an elective in Year 9 next year, why not come along and join in the fun?
The Drama Club will work towards presenting a performance for Parents and the School Community in Term 3.
To register please see Mrs Kossenberg at recess or lunch and put your name on the sign-up sheet at the Performing Arts Centre Office.
“With a bolt of lightning on my kicks . . .
The court is SIZZLING.
My sweat is DRIZZLING.
Stop all that quivering. Cuz tonight I’m delivering,”
…announces dread-locked, 12-year old Josh Bell. He and his twin brother Jordan are awesome on the court. But Josh has more than basketball in his blood, he’s got mad beats, too, that tell his family’s story in verse, in this fast and furious middle grade novel of family and brotherhood.
Josh and Jordan must come to grips with growing up on and off the court to realise breaking the rules comes at a terrible price, as their story’s heart-stopping climax proves a game-changer for the entire family.
This novel-in-verse about twin brothers who are basketball stars won the 2015 John Newbery medal, the highest honour for children’s literature in the US. Other awards included:
A review in the New York Times described The Crossover as a “beautifully measured novel of life and lines” which, “for all the bells and whistles of a young man’s game … is most boldly and certainly a book about tenderness.”
As Term 1 draws to a close, most students have completed their first cycle of assessment tasks and teachers are finalising progress reports. Feedback and reporting is essential in helping students reach their learning goals. A key element of achieving success is building your child’s resilience and capacity for continuous reflection.
More important than any mark or grade is the conversation at home and at school with the student, which gets them thinking about the specifics of their efforts and helping them develop strategies that will make a difference for future learning.
School reports provide information to help parents start a conversation with their child about their work in individual subjects and how to support them from home in the future.
When looking at these reports, I encourage students to be actively reflective, to be proud of their achievements and to acknowledge areas requiring further development.
Should there be areas that need attention, rather than focus on the mark, students should think about strategies that will improve the quality of their work. They should ask themselves questions such as:
“Does this report reflect my understanding or my effort in each subject?”
“What will I do differently next time?”
Regardless of where a student is in his learning journey, report time provides an opportunity for parents to have a conversation with their child about how they can help. I encourage parents to acknowledge the positive aspects of the report as well as tackle those areas that need improvement. Talk about strategies the student has used that have resulted in successful outcomes and then challenge them to assess their approach to areas of concern. Encourage your child to set some goals and then take the opportunity to discuss these at the parent/teacher/student interview.
In preparation for interviews, it’s beneficial to be fully abreast of your child’s pattern of study; to be aware of the topics studied and any assessments completed. Have a sense of how much home study your son is doing and if he is using this time productively.
At parent teacher interviews, it is also a good idea to jot down notes. Each subject will have different recommendations, tips and advice. Ask for specific areas that need developing and strategies for improvement. For example,
“What particular topics need attention?”
“Did he have problems with his paragraph construction or with his grammar/spelling?”
“Did he perform better in the practical or theory component of the assessment?”
“How much time should he be spending on his major work compared to theory?”
“What can he do to improve his approach?”
“What can I do to assist at home?”
To conclude, some simple yet effective home strategies that will make a difference to your child’s future learning achievements are;
Waverley College’s learning philosophy is to liberate the potential of every learner. Our aim is to ensure that all students can achieve growing academic success by all its measures.
The Studies of Religion In-focus Conference is an interfaith initiative to provide teachers with resources for their teaching of Studies of Religion in both the Preliminary and HSC Course. This year the topic was ‘Living Religious Traditions in the 21st Century’.
The conference took place in Sydney on Friday 4 March and I was asked to present a workshop on “How to help your students stand out in their HSC responses”. I invited two outstanding members of the class of 2015 to assist me in my presentation, Caitlin Madeira who was the College Captain of St Clare’s College in 2015 and Adam Hegedus dux of Waverley College 2015 and First in State in Studies of Religion II. Both of these students were awarded the Premier’s Award for All-round Excellence in their HSC.
Caitlin and Adam were excellent ambassadors for both schools and captivated the audience with their enthusiasm, advice and ability to articulate how to grapple with the demands of the HSC. I engaged them in a Q & A session and what interested and surprised most teachers present was their answer to the question: “ Is the HSC more about collaboration or competition?” Both advised that in collaboration and the sharing of resources they gained great insights across all their subjects.
The Studies of Religion II cohort from Waverley College and St Clare’s College engaged in a combined seminar and afternoon tea at Waverley College as part of their preparation for the HSC in 2015. Together with Mr Dominic Hearne and Ms Catherine Stewart we shared our wisdom, experience and knowledge of the course with the group and I believe that it helped to give them more strategies to make their responses stand out.
Caitlin and Adam are pursuing their tertiary studies at UNSW and take a great appreciation of their respective schools to their life beyond the HSC.
Last week’s Surf Life Saving NSW State Titles saw a number of Waverley College students achieve success in both the Nippers and Open competitions.
Historically, a large number of our students are involved in Surf Life Saving because of our proximity to the coastline. Surf Clubs are a great part of the local community not only because they save lives, but because they encourage lifelong physical activity.
Surf Life Saving Australia patrols 12,000 beaches, 36,000 kilometres of coastline and over 100 million visitors to our beaches annually.
Waverley College supports Surf Life Saving by granting exemptions to boys who submit an application to the Head of College two weeks before the exemption date. All boys at the College are eligible to apply for two days of leave from their Co-curricular sport or activity each year.
Congratulations to all of our students (and some staff) who contribute to this iconic Australian community service.
With many boys involved in morning training sessions the Canteen offers a morning breakfast menu to ensure that all boys have the opportunity to have something to eat before school starts. The Canteen is open from 8.00 – 8.30am.
The menu is as follows:
Living Holy Week following Jesus means learning how to come out of ourselves to reach others, to go to the outskirts of existence, to be the first to move towards our brothers and sisters, especially those who are most distant, those who are most in need of understanding, consolation and help.
“There is so much need to bring the living presence of Jesus, merciful and full of love”
-Pope Francis.
Boys were encouraged to keep these words in their mind and reflect in the light of the College’s celebration last week of the National Action Day against Bullying and Violence.
Some students need to let go of the need to bring other boys down and to open their hearts and minds to what Pope Francis is challenging us to do – to move closer to our fellow brothers and sisters. Students were also encouraged to make a final donation to the lenten appeal (Project Compassion) that helps end poverty and promotes justice for the world’s poor.
This week we have had an intensive focus during our home group time on bullying. We have looked at strategies and case studies to try and educate our students on the truths and costs around bullying.
To work and learn in a Catholic community like Waverley, we all must adhere to some basic principles, and accepting bullying is not one of them. We will certainly try hard to work with students who make poor choices in this area, with counselling, consequences and learning opportunities. If these do not result in the necessary changes, then a student’s continued enrolment at the College will come into question.
The College has the same approach with violence. There is no place for it at Waverley.
To throw a punch at another person’s head, neck, chest or spine is simply to gamble with their life. Students can never know if a person has a medical condition which makes them particularly vulnerable – the target themselves may not know. One punch can kill. The message is simple – do not throw punches here at Waverley or anywhere else. The College will take action and so will the police.
The College posted our commitment to standing together against bullying and violence on the College’s Facebook page last Friday. Over 20,000 people connected with this stance which tells that the issue is very important to our community.
The following was shared in Home Group time with the boys to allay some fears:
Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Brussels who suffered a terrorist attack earlier this week. Experts say that other attacks are most probable, but the likelihood of being caught up in a terror attack is still remote: far more Londoners have been killed riding bikes in the city than in terror attacks over the past 15 years.
But with the threat hovering, how do we cope? What is the psychological impact? Should we change our behaviour? How do we live in the shadow of terrorism?
Psychological impact
Some experts are concerned that the attacks – and the threat of more to come – will make people feel vulnerable and start making decisions based on fear.
“When something dramatic happens, such as the attacks in Paris, Belgium and Sydney, something called the ‘availability heuristic’ kicks in,” says Dr David Purves, a London based psychologist specialising in trauma and post traumatic stress.
The Paris and Belgium bombings have brought heightened awareness, which can elevate feelings of risk. “People who have a tendency to worry, they are able to ask themselves the questions: could it happen here, what if it happened to me or somebody I care for, how would I feel, could I cope?
“These are questions that don’t have answers and the fact they don’t have answers tends to make people anxious and dwell on them more, going over and over them again. And this makes people feel more at risk.”
Traumatisation makes people feel more vulnerable. “It makes you feel it is more likely to happen. And it is being replayed over and over in the media.
“People become a bit more watchful and wary. They start to make decisions based upon fear; shall I go on the train station, or take the bus; shall I get a taxi; shall I even go out? Making a decision based on fear reinforces that anxiety.”
Experts say that continuing to live a normal life is one of the best things people can do after a terrorist attack. “One of the many aims of terrorists with an attack is to provoke a disruption of that society. When somebody plants a bomb in Paris or shoots someone on a Tunisian beach, if people say ‘I’m not going to go to Paris or Tunisia’, it makes future terrorism a more attractive method.
Society needs to make that decision to live as normally as possible, it makes the likelihood of terrorism succeeding more remote.
Don’t turn on each other
One of the aims of a terrorist attack like the one on Paris and Belgium, is to sow discord in society particularly between Muslim and non-Muslim communities. Research shows that after a global incident like the Paris attacks, there is a rise in harassment of Muslims in western countries.
“Scapegoating Muslim communities for these incomprehensible acts of extremism simply fuels more hatred, more hostility and more suffering. Rather than allowing terrorism to polarise, we should instead use these atrocities to remind ourselves of the shared sense of humanity that unites people living in diverse societies,” says Professor Neil Chakraborti, director of the Leicester Centre for Hate Studies.
Public figures such as Australian television presenter Waleed Aly, who penned, “you will not have my hatred”, have urged people not to let Isis win by causing hatred.
Report suspicious behaviour
According to experts, in the last 15 years many planned terrorist attacks have been foiled because members of the public gave information to police about people acting strangely. Behaviour people should report includes people buying ingredients that might be used in bomb-making, and the radical transformation of someone’s political views in ways that lead you to believe they might be drawn to violence.
Know what to do in the event of an attack
Like Waverley’s lockdown policy, “run and hide” is the advice given by the UK national counter-terrorism security office (NACTSO) rather than “play dead” – “escape if you can, insist others leave with you and leave belongings behind – silence phones and when safe, ring emergency services”.
“People understandably have an anxiety, but terrible as these attacks are, we have to keep them in proportion. Statistically you’re overwhelmingly safe from terrorism, remembering that enables us to have a proportionate response.”
It has started to get colder this week and boys have started to wear an array of tops to fend off the cold. In Term 2 we officially move to the College’s winter uniform with blazer and ties mandatory. If boys are cold the College jumper or blazer are the only acceptable items they can wear at school and to and from school. Hoodies, sports jackets, spray jackets are not acceptable. Raincoats can be worn to and from school and we encourage boys to use an umbrella on wet days. Please support the College policy on uniform. It does make a difference to how they present, feel and act.
I wish every member of our community a happy Easter.
Many thanks to all the staff, students and parents who have been involved with the Lenten Appeal fundraising over the last six weeks. The funds will go to Edmund Rice charities throughout Australia, South America and Africa. The proceeds from the Mufti Day will go towards Caritas Australia.
Many students showed a lot of initiative in the ways they chose to raise money for these worthwhile causes.
I have seen first hand the excellent work that the Christian Brothers do in the Majority World. In Nairobi, the Ruben Centre offers free healthcare to people living in Mukuru slum. In Bolivia, the Brothers offer educational opportunities to street children. Our flexi-learning centres in Australia provide education for young people who cannot function in a normal school environment.
It is gratifying to know that we can help support these excellent initiatives.
The Street Retreat scheduled for next Wednesday has been postponed until next term. Year 11 students will be notified of the alternative date.
The Red Cross shuttle bus will operate from the start of next term. Each week seven Year 11 students will travel to the city to donate blood. This is one of the most worthwhile opportunities offered through the Service Program. I commend the blood donors on their bravery and selflessness.
Waverley College will be sending two teams (Junior & Senior) to compete at the Scots Easter 7’s Tournament to be played Easter Saturday. This is our first involvement in this tournament in a number of years. Both international and local schools will compete over one day in what looks to be an entertaining celebration of rugby. All support is welcome with the first match commencing at 10:00am and the final concluding at 4:30pm in the Scots College school grounds.
Last Saturday all age groups were involved in trial matches and skills sessions. I would like to thank the work of the coaching staff that managed to get all the trials organized following a week of poor weather. After losing key preseason sessions, our coaches were able to set trials up and get the boys onto the field in a swift fashion.
It was pleasing to see the strong signs across all age groups, with players putting great efforts in. Unfortunately, we did see a few injuries. Thanks must go to Mark Mitchell (Physiotherapist) for his efforts in managing a very busy medical room.
I appreciate a number of parents have contacted me regarding team selections. Further to this, I anticipate parents will contact me in the coming weeks regarding team selections and the protocol we have in place.
At Waverley College we aim to give all players a fair go in trying to reach their potential (make the highest team possible), however, it can sometimes take time to establish the correct grading of individual players into teams.
Last year, we had students starting off in “D grade” eventually make it to “A grade” half way through the season. Again, this was a process that took time.
We are very fortunate to have two trial rounds this season against Newington (2nd April) and Riverview (30th April) to ensure the teams are well arranged prior to the commencement of the CAS competition.
At the end of the day, we ask all players to strive to do the best for the school in whatever team they may start off in. This will ultimately lead to a greater brand of rugby, more player enjoyment and continued success from the 1st XV to the 13Fs.
Already, lost property is starting to pop up at the conclusion of trainings and Saturday fixtures. Lost property will either be kept at the Queens Park Pavilion (top level) or taken up to the Waverley College Front Office. I highly recommend all players label their kit with their name and a contact number, so any found items can be returned to the owners.
During the upcoming Easter Holidays, Waverley College will be running a Junior Rugby Camp. This is for interested students from Years 5 – 9. I encourage all junior rugby players to get there, especially players in A & B teams.
Please note there is a change in dates and times from when the camp is listed in the School Calendar. The camp will now be held on Monday 18th April and Tuesday 19th April (9am – 12pm). Booking can be made through the Trybookings website: (https://www.trybooking.com/191497)
I encourage those students attending this camp to hang around on Tuesday 19th April, to support our 1st XV who will play against St Patrick’s College, Strathfield. Kick off for this match is at 12:15pm.
I wish everyone a very safe and restful Easter weekend.
Waverley to Win!
Whilst an email to teachers makes the communication process far easier and faster, parents are asked to understand that they may not always be answered immediately. As teachers must prioritise ensuring your son is in a safe, nurturing and effective learning environment, I am requesting that parents be patient and understanding in regard to this form of communication. For important issues you are welcome to make an appointment and speak directly with your son’s teacher.
It has come to my attention that some students are not in the habit of backing up their laptops. I would ask they develop the habit of doing the following three things each night with their laptop:
It would be appreciated if parents could assist us in getting the boys into this habit.
Congratulations to the following boys who were awarded certificates at our assembly last Thursday – well done!
A reminder Tuesday April 26 has been set aside for Parent/Student/Teacher Interviews. Parents will receive a Skoolbag App notification next week explaining how to book online.
Last week saw five boys represent the College at the IPSHA Football trials. Congratulations to Jimmy Ashbridge, Riley Vidulich, Luke Kraljevic, Alex Morris and Kia Puntigam. The boys were part of large group of 150 students from different schools who trailed. Unfortunately none of the boys were selected in the team but Alex and Kia made the final 22 and just missed selection. A great effort by all the boys.
Well done to the following boys who competed in the Little Athletics State Championships last weekend:
Congratulations to Bailey Habler and Lucas Young who competed for the senior school at the recent CAS Swimming Championships – they represented the Junior School with pride and made a terrific contribution to the whole team’s effort on the night.
One thing I know about our Waverley boys is that they are incredibly generous. Over the past few weeks the boys have been active with their Lenten pledges and raffle sales. The boys are raised almost $2200 through their pledges and $800 through the raffle. Special mention to William Coates for his hard work in helping out with the raffle.
An early invitation to our annual Mother’s and Grandmother’s Mass to be held on Friday May 6 commencing at 12pm followed by lunch at the Junior School. It would be appreciated if you could note the date in your diaries.
The Waverley College Mothers’ Club would like to invite all boys from the Junior College to think about that very special Mum, Auntie, Godmother, Grandmother and/or friend in our lives on Mothers’ Day, 8 May 2016.
To assist the boys in the Junior College, we have arranged a wonderful range of gifts that you can purchase for that special person. You can see samples of all the gifts on the display table outside of Mrs Coupe’s office at the Junior School.
If you would like to order a gift (or many gifts – please feel free to order as many as you would like) please fill in the order form (sent home via your son) and bring it to the school office by Friday 29th April 2016 in an envelope, together with your payment for the gifts. We accept cash or cheque payable to: Waverley College Mothers Club.
We look forward to helping you make your family’s Mothers’ Day special!
With kindest regards,
Waverley College Mothers Club
Just a reminder that the canteen will still be serving breakfast from 8.00am each day. Your support over the next couple of weeks will be greatly appreciated.
Don’t forget that by using Flexischools you can order your son’s lunch online.
Best wishes to everyone for a happy Easter and a restful break.
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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