Deputy Principal - Student & Staff Wellbeing, Mr Patrick Brennan
Winter Uniform
All boys are required to be in winter uniform from the start of Term 2 to the end of Term 3. This includes blazer and tie. The College has high expectations of our students, particularly when travelling to and from school on public transport. As was the case last year, boys failing to do this will be placed on a Saturday detention. The positive message we give to the public though our uniform and grooming is another extension of the ongoing cultural change we are seeing at the College.
When boys are dressed well and groomed appropriately they send a clear message about how they want to be perceived and pride in their school.
Sometimes boys will take the holiday break as an opportunity to experiment with different hairstyles. The expectation is that boys will meet the following guidelines on their return to the College:
- Hair should be neatly cut, combed and maintained. Hair should be shorter than the collar
- Long hair or outlandish styles are not acceptable
- Undercut styles, dramatic layering, tracks, mohawks, overuse of product, tinting, colouring, dreadlocks, strands of hair, buns, braids or lines are not acceptable
- A number 2 cut is the shortest acceptable cut
- No facial hair
Please support the College with these expectations. If boys do not comply with a request to address any breaches by their Head of House, they will then have three options:
1) Go immediately to the barber at Charing Cross and have the inappropriate haircut rectified
2) Rectify the inappropriate haircut themselves with clippers supplied by the College
3) Return home until such time as the inappropriate haircut is rectified
After the Bell Success
Earlier in April, the College hosted an evening aimed at parents of students in Years 8-10 to provide information and strategies to keep our youth safe, ‘After the Bell’. This was a combined schools initiative focusing on safe student partying in the Eastern Suburbs an included over twelve high schools from all sectors including systemic, independent and public schools.
Highlights of the evening included a message from former AMA President and Member for Wentworth Professor Kerryn Phelps AM, Dr Tamara Lang discussing current data associated with teenage substance use and Senior Constable Yasmin London looking at issues from the Police perspective including relevant legislation and how police can assist when parents hold an event for their teenagers.
Over 800 parents supported the event and proceeds in the form of a cheque for $8000 was presented to a representative from Headspace at the end of the evening.
Cyberbullying
I spoke to the boys at our last assembly about online trolls and provided them with some strategies to combat them at school and when they enter the workforce. We know that one in four Australian students are bullied online, the evidence from our recent wellbeing survey suggests that online bullying occurs less frequently at Waverley College.
There are four things we encourage our students to do to combat the trolls:
- Don’t feed the trolls; they want a reaction. Be aware particularly when responding when you are angry or upset.
- Collect evidence; take a screenshot as soon as possible before the content is removed.
- Tell someone; parents, your Mentor, Head of House, Deputy Head of College. All of these people can do something about it. Serious online bullying should be reported to the Police or the eSafety Commissioner.
- Protect yourself online; update privacy settings, delete awful messages and block the sender.
If parents can reinforce this four-step plan I am sure we will continue to see online bullying decline at the College.
A prayer for Mothers Day
Good and Gentle God,
We pray in gratitude for our mothers and for all the women of theory who have joined with you in the wonder of bringing forth new life. You who became human through a woman, grant to all mothers the courage they need to face the uncertain future that life with children always brings.
Give them the strength to live and to be loved in return, not perfectly, but humanly.
Give them the faithful support of husband, family and friends as they care for the physical and spiritual growth of their children.
Give them joy and delight in their children to sustain them through the trials of motherhood. Most of all, we pray for women who on this day, who may be on a journey often forgotten about on Mothers’ Day.
