Key Dates
- Saturday 19 October, WP CAS Trials
- Tuesday 22 October, Year 12 (2020) Parent Information Evening
- Thursday 24 October, College Assembly Years 5 – 12
- Friday 25 October, Festival of Bands
- Tuesday 29 October, Senior and Junior School Open Day
- Wednesday 30 October, Year 12 Retreat
Dear Parents and Carers,
Welcome back for the final Term of the year. I encourage all boys to engage with their academic and learning program immediately as this term is renowned for moving at a frenetic pace.
On behalf of the teachers, staff and members of the College Community, I wished our Year 12s all the best this morning for their HSC examinations which started today.
On behalf of the Waverley College Community, I offer our prayers and condolences to both the Kimber and Papageorhious families who lost loved ones over the holidays. May Catherine Shand and Chris Papageorgious rest in peace. Thank you to members of our community who have reached out to support both families.
Wellbeing
Over the holidays Mental Health week was celebrated in Australia. Research clearly indicates a strong link between student wellbeing, performance, happiness and sleep. Diet is another key influencing factor in a student’s overall wellbeing. I would encourage parents to play an active role in checking the number of hours their sons are actually sleeping for and the hibernation of technology devices prior to going to bed on a consistent basis. The optimum sleep required by adolescent boys is 9.25 hours every night. Everyone has to stay up late and finish work off from time to time when workloads are heavy, but it is what your son consistently does in terms of sleep, diet and not being connected to technology prior to sleep, that will have a positive impact on how he feels, learns and his wellbeing in both the short and long term.
While he sleeps, his brain is preparing for the next day: it forms new pathways to help him learn and consolidate information into his long term memory. Your immune system relies on sleep to stay healthy. This system defends your body against foreign or harmful substances. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change how your immune system responds.
Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens, and adults.
According to studies carried out by the Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (USA), teens who are sleep deficient have greater problems getting along with others, feel angry, impulsive, have mood swings, greater chances of sadness and depression, have less motivation and lower attention spans. The Institute maintains that sleep supports healthy growth and development, particularly in teens.
Leadership Assembly
On Tuesday, parents were invited to pin captain and prefect badges on their respective sons in a moving ceremony in front of the College. Each boy took the pledge to look after all students and serve the College to the best of their ability. In my speech to all students, boys were all encouraged to aspire to be leaders and to embrace being compassionate, being grateful, having empathy for others, being just in their actions and calling others on any action that brings their name or the College’s name into disrepute.
Happiness
Research supports the notion that assisting others is one of the key factors to the road to happiness in one’s life. One of the College’s touchstones – Justice and Solidarity particularly calls us to seek justice and stand up for those in need. Put another way, having high levels of emotional intelligence are 21st-century skills we are seeking to develop in the young men under our care. We are encouraging your son to challenge himself to be a better person, to take others along on the journey and to assist those less fortunate. The following four programs encourage boys to support those in need and challenge some of the status quo in structures that block progress and equality for all.
Best Foot Forward campaign = Empowering Women Around the World
This is an EREA campaign to support women and girls getting access to education. Gender equality is a fundamental human right. It’s necessary for a peaceful, prosperous and sustainable world. Two-thirds of the world’s 750 million illiterate adults are women, while 16 million girls will never set foot in a classroom. Together we can make lasting change for women and girls all over the world. To give them an opportunity for education and to put their ‘best foot forward’.
Over 200 Waverley boys purchased a set of pink shoelaces today, to stand in solidarity with those girls that don’t have the same opportunities as they do to attend a school. This campaign is being championed by Green House, but all boys and members of the community are encouraged to support this program today. You can read more about the initiative in Scott Coleman’s article below.
For just a few more hours, all donations will be quadrupled by our matching donors so that your gifts achieve their greatest potential.
Help us complete the journey. Together, we can help to put her Best Foot Forward!
Donate: bestfootforward.org.au
Domestic Violence
Some of you may have seen recently in the news that the Board of White Ribbon Australia has had to close their doors. The College has always been a strong supporter of raising awareness of the tragically high levels of domestic violence in Australia against women and the need for all men to stand up, acknowledge this and work to end violence against women. Randwick Council and NSW Police will proceed with their walk against domestic violence on 22 November and Waverley College will support this event. We will look to direct any funds raised towards a local service that assists women.
Premature Babies Update
Earlier in the year, twenty of our students and two staff ran the SMH Half Marathon in support of Premature Babies and its founder and Waverley parent, Ms Spohie Smith. The group raised $6,930 and Sophie has just informed me that this enabled the purchase of lifesaving equipment for the Royal Hospital for Women’s neonatal intensive care unit. Both an ultrablender, used to improve the accuracy in delivering the right amount of oxygen for premature babies, and one neopuff, which is a supporting piece of equipment to incubators in the highest level of intensive care of the NICU, assisting with how ventilation is delivered to premature babies have been purchased using the money raised by Waverley boys. Sophie is keen to see a Waverley team of parents, boys, staff and community members again at next year’s marathon in May 2020.
Kids Giving Back Program
Congratulations to students Kit Armstrong, Jesse Gordon, Monty Armstrong and Aidan Carpenter who have participated in one or more of the following programs: Cook4Good, Cook4Dignity, School Holiday Programs & Connect4Good. The programs provide opportunities to assist vulnerable people in the community. The program organisers have written to the College congratulating our boys on their empathy and strong work ethic as they undertook these volunteer roles.
World Teacher Day
The College will recognise its teachers on the 25 October. We are very blessed to have such a dedicated and professional team of teachers at the College.
Staff News
We farewell Mr Dominic Hearne from the College after 19 years of service. We thank Dominic for his work in administration, the philosophy of leadership program, teaching religious education and as a debating coach. We wish him all the best in his future endeavours.
Congratulations
Year 11 Student Alex Talbot recently broke the 17yrs 1500m School Record with a time of 4.07.99. The previous record has stood for 37 years – E Vandermee – 4.08.80 from 1982. Congratulations Alex on this outstanding achievement.
Year 12 Student Thomas Carey was successful in securing one of the 20 places available on the ACU Leavers Program 2019 Trip to Rome and London. The program will be run by Dr Michael Casey, Director of the PM Glynn Institute at ACU.
