Farewells and best wishes

From the Head of College, Graham Leddie

Term 3 ends

Thank you for all for your support of your son during Term 3. It has been a busy and productive term for most boys. We officially farewell our Year 12 students tomorrow at graduation day and wish them all the best for their upcoming HSC examinations. I wish all boys a restful and enjoyable spring break and look forward to seeing them return safely in Term 4 on Tuesday 16 October.

 

HSC Preparations

For boys looking for a change of study venue during the holidays, the College Library will be  open from 9.00am until 4.00pm each day excluding the public holiday 1 October (Tuesdays 8.00am-4.00pm). Each Year 12 student has been issued with a copy of the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) Rules and Regulations instructions. It is your son’s responsibility to comply with these instructions and attend his examinations on the correct date and time. With Mrs Elizabeth Watson on leave from the end of Term 3, Mrs Lynsey Porter will be the Acting Director of Teaching and Learning for the first three weeks of Term 4. Mrs Porter will be in the Centenary Quadrangle for HSC roll marking before each examination. Students should be in attendance at least 30 minutes prior to the scheduled starting time for each exam, in full College uniform. College rules regarding shaving, hair styles/colouring etc., apply throughout the exam period.

The College understands NESA permits students to leave the examination room prior to the scheduled finishing time. It is an expectation of the College that students should use all available time to complete each examination to the best of their ability. Any student leaving an examination prior to the finishing time, must sign out at the Head of College’s office.

 

Graduation  Day Message

Some parents or students might be planning after-parties to celebrate Year 12 Graduation and I wanted to share some advice to help avoid preventable incidents. Completing Year 12 is certainly a big milestone and worthy of celebrating, however graduation day is not the day. The students’ work is not completed until after their last HSC exam. This is the whole purpose of ‘schoolies’ week’; to provide students with an opportunity to finally relax and celebrate prior to the next step in their life’s journey. Waverley College marks graduation with a beautiful Mass at Mary Immaculate with Father Bernie, a special luncheon, the graduation ceremony in the Centenary Quadrangle, and finally the Year 12 Formal. This makes for a very long day that coincides with high emotions, tiredness from the significance of the occasion and also exam stress. Adding yet another celebration to an extraordinarily long day (18 hours) leaves boys vulnerable to peer pressure and poor decision making.

Please note that any celebrations held after the Year 12 Formal are not endorsed or supported by the College and we recommend your son does not attend. Earlier this week a student was punched by a stranger in nearby Bondi Junction after attending an unsanctioned gathering. The student was unconscious for a period of time before being transferred to hospital for medical tests. You can not get any closer to a life or death situation than this. If you would like some advice on how to talk to your teenager about going to parties, here is a helpful article written by Matthew Porter, Waverley College’s Director of Wellbeing:  https://www.mamamia.com.au/talking-to-teens-about-parties/

 

Staff farewells and thanks

Mr Glenn Fleming has worked at the College for three years in our counselling team and leaves us to take up an appointment with Marist Care close to his home. Glenn has been a great support to students, staff and the College’s Wellbeing program. We wish him all the best with his new role.

Ms Anne Bateman has worked at the College for 12 years in our counselling team and leaves us to take up a appointment at St Augustine’s College. Anne has been the backbone of our counselling team and has assisted many students greatly during her time at the College. We wish her all the best with her new role.

Mr Tony Banboukjian has worked at the College for 28 years and the last 11 years as Director of Waterford. Tony has been a humble, gentle and caring leader who has assisted many boys settle into upper primary and prepared them well for high school. Tony will be missed by many for his great service to the school. We wish Tony all the best as he transitions to a new career path as owner of the Courtyard Cafe in Berrima, Southern Highlands.

Thank you to Ms Anne Fahy who has been the Acting Head of Music for Term 3 and done an excellent job. We have just received news that the following students have been nominated after their HSC performances in Music for inclusion in ENCORE: Congratulations to Morgan Hall and Dominic Augoustis.

Thank you to Ms Linda McGuiggan who has been a stalwart organiser of our graduation lunches for some years now.  This will be her last lunch, which she is organising despite her son graduating with the Year 12 cohort tomorrow. Thank you Linda for all your hard work and care for others in our community.

 

Old Boys’ Watch

A reminder that the Old Boys’ Union has arranged for sales of a Waverley College branded watch from Bausele with sales closing on 30 September. The watch features the school crest and a number of variations including 1st XI cricket and football, 1stXV rugby and cadets. The crest also features soil from our Queens Park home ground (which I personally collected – see below). Find out more at: www.bausele.com.au/waverley