Principal, Mr Graham Leddie
Annual Appeal
With tax time approaching, it is not too late to donate to the College’s Annual Appeal. I encourage every family to contribute something to an area of College life that will make a significant difference for our current and future boys and community. The generosity of our donors has helped the College make much-needed improvements including the Brother Robert Wallace Performing Arts Centre and the new Cosgrove Centre. Support also continues to help fund bursaries for Waverley College families experiencing financial difficulty.
1) Building Fund
Our architects (m3architecture) are currently developing our new master plan for both the Junior and Senior campuses. A donation to the building fund will help improve teaching, learning and wellbeing spaces at the College.
2) Student Scholarship Fund
Assist a boy to attend Waverley who would not be able to afford to attend without your financial assistance. Giving the opportunity for a rich education can change a boy’s future forever.
3) Improving Pedagogical Practice
The Percy Watson scholarship is designed to assist those that can have the largest impact on student learning and outcomes, ‘the teacher’ (Professor John Hattie – Melbourne University). Inspired by the 1965/66 Old Boys, this scholarship will assist teachers to engage in further study and improve pedagogical practice.
To make a donation, please follow this link.
We thank you for your continued support, every dollar contributes towards a stronger future for your son.
Learning Environments Symposium
Yesterday, I attended along with our Master Plan architects (m3architecture) a Learning Environments Symposium held at the newly built Education Precinct at Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The building cost $94.4 million dollars and is a strong commitment to ongoing teacher professional development. There were certainly plenty of ideas that we will consider here at Waverley in designing our learning and wellbeing spaces.
The symposium aims to bring educators and architects together to ensure campus design enhances teaching and learning. Part of the symposium was the book launch of School Spaces for Student Wellbeing and Learning by Dr Jill Willis, Dr Hilary Hughes and Professor Jill Franz. In this book, they introduce a new wellbeing dimension to the theory and practice of learning space design for school contexts. I certainly believe that design, aesthetics, flow, comfort, sustainability, and the impact of nature can all have a positive impact on both learning and wellbeing of students and staff. Our architects are well versed in creating such spaces and I look forward to being able to share the Master Plan with the community later in the year.
Interacting with the giant five-metre diameter sphere at QUT. It is the world’s largest LED 4K resolution globe and enables the user to interact with teaching content in a unique format.
Remembrance
Last week the flags were lowered to half-mast in remembrance of the seven people that tragically lost their lives on Saturday, June 9, 1979, in the Luna Park Ghost Train fire. Waverley was deeply impacted by this tragic event with four Year 7 students being killed.
Richard Carroll b.18/41966, 13 years
Michael Johnson b. 20/8/1965, 12 years
Johnathan Billings b. 5/12/1965, 12 years
Seamus Rahilly b. 7/9/1965, 12 years
There are marble plaques in the College Chapel remembering each of the boys. This year marks 40 years since the tragedy and our thoughts and prayers are with their family and friends at this time. We feel for the families that have only photos and memories that never progressed past this tragic evening. The four young boys should have gone on and had full lives of their own. I remember the event as a young boy of eight myself, but I asked Mr Peter Frost who was at the school at the time, to elaborate on his memory of the event.
“Graham, the four boys were very solid friends and their parents had given them permission to go to Luna Park on Saturday evening and to stick together. There were four boys who boarded the Ghost Train ride while another was turned back because the train was full. The ride caught fire and was completely destroyed and all four boys were tragically killed. The whole community was shocked by the tragic deaths and there was a massive sympathetic response, especially from other schools. In particular, the other CAS schools all responded with offers of support and prayers. The funeral of the four mates was held at Saint Mary’s Cathedral. One of the most moving sights at the Mass was the procession of the four coffins with the boys’ rugby jerseys on each one. The sense of grief and support for the families was overwhelming and the whole congregation shared in the deep sense of loss”.
Mr Peter Frost
End of Term
Thank you to all parents, students, Old Boys and staff that have assisted make Term 2 a successful term. Most boys have worked hard to achieve their goals this Term. Working to one’s best is our expectation of your son and we encourage him to finish off the Term strongly, take satisfaction in his efforts and enjoy a well-earned break.
However, a holiday break should not be a transition from the extreme of busyness to the opposite end in laziness.
Your son’s winter wellbeing program should include exercise, healthy eating, reading a novel or two, time with family and assisting someone else. Boys enjoy routines and positive direction, assist him to have a productive and life-giving break.
Of course, our Year 12s who are working towards their Trial HSC, will require a different program and today Ms Elizabeth Watson (Deputy Head – Teaching & Learning), Ms Lynsey Porter (Director of Curriculum) and Ms Kath Knowles (Senior Studies & Careers Coordinator) provided a sample study program for each of them.
I wish all boys a great end to Term 2 and a safe and productive holiday.
