Principal, Mr Graham Leddie
Easter Message
As the liturgical season of Lent draws to a close, we prepare to enter Holy Week, beginning with Palm Sunday and the joyful commemoration of the Lord’s entrance into Jerusalem, when the crowds acclaimed him with the words: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.”
As the week unfolds, we journey with Christ through the Sacred Paschal Triduum, which begins on Holy Thursday with the celebration of the Mass of the Lord’s Supper, continues through Good Friday and Holy Saturday, and reaches its climax with the celebration of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil on Easter Sunday.
The Easter Triduum is the high point of our liturgical year. It is a time of profound reverence and spiritual renewal. After forty days of prayer, penance, and reflection, we enter into the mystery of Christ’s passion and death with solemn devotion. Yet it is with joy and hope that we celebrate His triumph over death and rejoice in the new life of His Resurrection.
Our hope rests in a Love stronger than death. Through the wounds of Christ, our wounds are healed; through His death, we are raised to new life; and in His Resurrection, we are promised the gift of eternal life. Following His Resurrection and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, Jesus assured His disciples and assures us that He would remain with us always, even to the end of time. This liturgical season shines with the light of that promise, radiant with hope.
As our community begins the Easter holidays, my thoughts and prayers are particularly with our Year 12s who are looking ahead with both anticipation and anxiety, thinking of upcoming exams and their future paths. At the heart of a Catholic education in the Edmund Rice Tradition, is our commitment to nurturing the whole person: intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, and pastorally. We seek to form young people who are not only well educated but who also live with faith-filled hope, ready to meet the world with courage, compassion, and conviction.
In this Jubilee Year, Pope Francis calls us to be Pilgrims of Hope. This call echoes the message of Easter and Pentecost: that our lives are not governed by fear or despair, but by the sure and certain hope that flows from Christ’s victory over the grave.
Father Bernie Thomas prays God’s blessing upon all our students, parents, carers, alumni and staff. May this sacred season deepen our trust in God’s love, strengthen our hope, and renew our mission to walk always as children of the Resurrection.
Essay/Speech Prize
Congratulations to our Edmund Ignatius Rice Senior Essay and Speech finalists, Lachlan Hoy, Taj Lynn and James Peate, who presented their speech on how the four EREA Touchstones are integral to a student’s education and how they inspire a vision for contributing to a better world.
The audience consisted of the judging panel, special guest, Old Boy, Dr David Curran and our Year 11 Advanced English students. With fierce competition, the final places will be announced in one of our assemblies early in Term 2.
Rostrum Public Speaking Regional Finals
Congratulations to Year 12 students Dante Fearn and James Peate who have successfully made it through to the Regional finals of the NSW Rostrum Public Speaking finals.
James Peate is the current NSW Champion from 2024 and we wish both boys all the very best with the next stage of competition.
Little Shop of Horrors Production
It’s almost here! The Waverley School musical, Little Shop of Horrors will be on stage from 13 – 16 May in the Performing Arts Theatre. A show about a man-eating plant; who knew botany could be so entertaining?
Purchase tickets here!
Starring the students of Waverley College and supported by the students from Bradfield College, Brigidine College and Kincoppal Rose Bay, hear what some of the students have to say about the show!
Hooper Negus (Year 11): “I think the audience will be excited about the ingenuity of the set.”
Harry Lentfer (Year 11): “My favourite song is Skid Row; it provides the context for what the musical is about and how each character shares their point of view of what it is like to live on Skid Row.”
Sophie (Kincoppal Rose Bay): “The revolving set is cool, just to see how it can turn into different places.”
Klara (Brigidine College): “The amount of effort that people have put into the show across all aspects, from singing, costume, set and all the people behind the scenes is astounding.”
Kenya (Bradfield College): “I love how the show is quite supernatural and how different the characters are from other shows.”
Reading Challenge Launch: Read a book Inside or Outside
We’re thrilled to announce our school-wide Reading Challenge for Years 7-10 running from April 10 to June 10!
Using the Beanstack platform, students will embark on a two-month reading adventure that continues right through the holiday break.
How It Works:
- Challenge begins Thursday, April 10th
- All students should read a minimum of 15 minutes daily
- During holidays, track reading on your paper log
- Upon return, you’ll receive your personal Beanstack profile
- Log your holiday reading digitally when we’re back
This challenge is the perfect opportunity to discover new worlds through books while building valuable reading habits.
Remember, just 15 minutes of daily reading can significantly improve vocabulary, comprehension, and academic performance across all subjects!
Stay tuned for more details about prizes and special recognition for our most dedicated classes and individual readers. Get ready to turn those pages and let your imagination soar!
Parent Webinar
Last week Wellio, one of our partners in providing wellbeing resources to our students and community, ran a parent Webinar on the topic “Owning Your Role as a Parent: Knowing When to Step In and Step Back”.
Waverley College was one of the highest represented schools in attendance, with over 100 parents logging onto the webinar. Well done parents and carers!
You joined parents from schools across Australia as part of this online session.
The webinar dealt with navigating the difficult balance between when to step in, when to guide, and when to create space for your children in order to develop their independence and help build resilience.
It provided practical strategies on “When to Interrupt”, “Leading by Example”, as well as “Advocating & Escalating”.
If you were unable to attend the session, a link to the recording can be found HERE, and a link to the resources provided HERE.
There will be further sessions held each term throughout the year.
- Term 2 is titled “Managing Device Use: Creating Healthy Tech Habits at Home”.
- Term 3 is called “Emotions Under Control: A Parent’s Guide to Emotional Regulation”.
- Term 4 is on “Social Media, Boundaries and Cyberbullying: Guiding Teens Through the Digital World”.
Each session is free to attend for all Waverley parents/carers and registration details will be sent out via Nurrunga and the Waverley App as they become available.
2025 Australian Junior Athletics Championships, Perth
A number of Waverley students, accompanied by Mr. Jeremy Roff, competed this week at the National Athletics titles in Perth. Some of the notable results include:
Lachlan Chappell
1st U13 100m (11:98)
1st U13 200m (24.51)
1st U14 4 x 100m relay (45.63)
1st U14 Mixed 4 x 200m (1:39.68)
1st U13 Discus (44.24m)
1st U13 Shot Put (13.85m)
1st U13 400m Heat 2 (57.95 Q)
1st U13 400m Final (55.42)
George Lambousis
4th U14 100m (12.11)
1st U14 4 x 100m relay (45.63)
Jack Spencer
7th U14 100k (12:36)
6th U14 200m (25.41)
1st U14 4 x 100m relay (45.63)
3rd U14 400m Heat 2 (56.90 PB) 10th overall
Koji Howard
13th U15 3000m (11.13.43)
Evan Rowbotham
1st U16 1500m (4:02.08)
1st U16 3000m (8.37.53 PB)
Lachlan Feain
8th U17 800m (2:00.55)
Filtomas Finekifolau
5th U17 Discus (46.40m)
7th U17 Shot Put (13.49m)
Wol Albino
8th U18 200m (22.26)
3rd U18 100m Heat 3 (10.98) 13th Overall
Christopher Szekeres
8th U18 Discus (45.15m)
7th U18 Shot Put (14.26m)
School Fees
Payment 1 was due on 12 February 2025, payment 2 due date is 14 May 2025, and payment 3 due date will be 6 August 2025.
The next Fee Statements will be issued on the week beginning 28 April 2025. We require Fee Statements to be paid in full by the due date.
Where this is not possible, a financial arrangement must be agreed with the Business Services Team by the due date.
Withdrawal Notice
As per enrolment contract and as indicated on the College website, the College require one full Term’s notice in writing to the Principal if you wish to withdraw your son’s enrolment at Waverley College.
As an example and for the avoidance of doubt, if you wish to withdraw your son at the end of Term 2, the notice must be given no later than the first day of Term 2.
If this notice period is breached, a penalty equivalent to one Term’s tuition fee will be payable as per enrolment contract.
Cadet AFX
Earlier this week, I visited the Cadet Annual Field Exercise (AFX) at Holsworthy Barracks alongside the Headmistress of St Catherine’s School, Ms Deb Magill.
It was a great opportunity to see our combined 400 Cadets in action experiencing a wide range of activities, team building exercises and leadership challenges.
Holsworthy Base has state of the art human created spaces along with extensive dense bushland to provide our cadets with many different environments to experience.
I am sure many will be looking forward to returning home to their bedroom and other creature comforts, but am also sure that many will have a greater appreciation of the simpler things in life and the great outdoors.
Well done to our cadets!
European Football Tour
The Football tour will see a squad of 34 students and 4 staff spend 4 days at Manchester City’s facilities being put through their paces by Manchester City Coaches.
They will then travel on to London, Lisbon and Madrid playing a number of games and watching some of the world’s best footballers play and train whilst immersing themselves in different cultures along the way.
NZ Rugby Tour
The Rugby tour will see a squad of 38 students and 5 staff spend 5 days at the Canterbury Crusaders Academy with some world class coaches.
They will then play two schools in 4 matches in Christchurch and Dunedin before finishing the tour in Queenstown.
The development tour is aimed at developing player skills, preparing for the rugby season ahead, and providing cultural learning experiences in one of the best rugby playing nations in the world.
Aussie Surf Lifesaving Titles
Waverley had a number of students from a range of Sydney Branch Surf Clubs competing in the Aussie titles over the past week. We had some impressive results including;
Bart Carmody (2 x Gold and 1 x silver medals Board race, Cameron Relay and surfing)
Fred Carmody (1 x Gold and 1 x Silver Board races and surfing)
Ryan Muldowney, Tom Maxwell and Ryan McNamara (Silver medal in U15 relay)
Rory Muldowney and Ryan McNamara (Silver medal in mixed U15 Relay)
Rory Muldowneyy (Gold in U15 Beach Sprint)
Connor Colquhoun and Joshua Raymond (Gold U14 Relay)
Talin Opai (5th U14 Beach sprint)
Kobi Keenan, Talin Opai and Richard Nestor (4th U15 Beach Relay)
Jayden Newrick and Jake Tobin (3rd U14 Mixed Beach Relay)
Richard Nestor (5th U15 Beach Flags)
Congratulations to all competitors for their efforts at this highest of levels for surf lifesaving.
National Swimming Titles
Best wishes to the following students who are attending the National Swimming titles this week:
Luca Hjorring (Year 10)
Owen Lloyd-Jones (Year 10)
Ollie Moclair (Year 12)
Nick Hjorring (Year 12)
ANZAC Day
I’m pleased to confirm that Sir Peter and Lady Cosgrove will be joining us for the College ANZAC Day Commemoration on Wednesday, April 30.
Sir Peter will be delivering the address. All parents and carers are welcome to join us.
Exchange Program
Waverley College recently had the pleasure of hosting four Japanese students as part of an enriching International exchange program. The students stayed with a Waverley College family and immersed themselves in school life by attending regular classes and participating in a variety of co-curricular activities.
A highlight of their visit included attending an Open Day at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), where they explored domestic and international study pathways. This valuable experience offered them insight into future academic opportunities in Australia and abroad.
The aim of this student exchange program is to provide participants with global educational opportunities, enabling them to gain firsthand experience in diverse academic environments. Through cultural immersion, students learn about different traditions and perspectives, helping foster greater intercultural understanding. The program also focuses on developing key interpersonal skills such as adaptability, communication, and cross-cultural collaboration, essential traits for success in an increasingly interconnected world.
Waverley College is proud to be part of such meaningful global engagement and extends its sincere thanks to the host family and broader community for their support in making this experience so impactful.
Term 2 Canteen Volunteers Needed
Can you volunteer to assist us in our daily operations from 9.30 am till 1.45 pm?
We greatly value the assistance of our volunteer workers as it allows us to be more efficient in our services for students and staff.
We welcome all members of the Waverley College Community – mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and carers. Lunch is provided for all volunteers.
We are happy to take on any availability, whether it’s once a week, month, or even once a Term – it all helps.
The Term 2 2025 volunteer roster is online, so if you are interested, please volunteer as soon as you can by clicking here.
Year 7 and Year 10 NSW 2025 School Vaccination Clinic
If your child is in Year 7 or Year 10 in 2025, you can provide consent online for school vaccinations.
In Year 7, students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). The year 7 vaccination clinic will be held on 24 November, 2025.
In Year 10, students are offered the meningococcal ACWY vaccine. The year 10 vaccination clinic will be held in Term 2 on the 11 June, 2025.
Vaccination will only be provided at school if consent has been received. Online consent will only be accepted if provided through the NSW Health School Vaccination Program portal. Consent should not be provided to the school via email or other electronic form submission.
How to provide consent:
- To complete online consent for your child’s school vaccinations, visit:
https://engage.health.nsw.gov.au/engage
- Follow the steps to log in to your existing ServiceNSW account. This is the same account
you may already use to renew your driver’s licence. If you do not have a ServiceNSW
account, refer to ServiceNSW to create one.
- Update or confirm your personal details as required.
- Complete the School Vaccination Consent Form for your child/ren. You will need to:
- Enter your child’s personal details
- Provide the Medicare card details for you and your child
- Read the linked Parent Information Sheet and privacy statement
- Provide consent
Detailed instructions can be found on the NSW Health website. If you or your child do not have a Medicare card, consent can still be provided by requesting a paper consent form from the school.
The benefits of providing consent online:
- easily update your child’s details
- receive SMS and/or email notifications when vaccinations are given
- faster upload of vaccination records to the Australian Immunisation Register (AIR)
For more information on routine school vaccinations, please visit www.health.nsw.gov.au/schoolvaccination
If you require information in your language, please visit
www.health.nsw.gov.au/immunisation/Pages/school_vaccination_language.aspx
REELise Film Festival
The REELise Film Festival—a nationally recognised platform for young filmmakers—is now accepting entries for its 2025 competition. Now in its 12th year, REELise has launched the careers of emerging Australian filmmakers, giving them the chance to gain industry recognition, showcase their work on the big screen, and connect with top film professionals.
Key Details
- Submission Deadline: 6 July 2025
- Competition Theme: Connection
- Film Length: Up to 5 minutes (including credits)
- Screening Date & Venue: 23 August 2025 at Ritz Cinemas, Randwick
- Eligibility: Open to youth up to 24 years
REELise Film Festival alumni have gone on to create award-winning films, secure film school scholarships, and kickstart their careers in the industry.
For submission guidelines and entry requirements, visit: www.reelise.org.au.
Year 9 Parent/ Student Information Evening Week 1 Term 2
An information evening has been organised for Year 9 parents/ carers and students at the College Gym on Thursday 1 May at 6pm.
The focus of the evening will be Understanding the Year 9 Experience, from a holistic perspective.
This will include wellbeing, spiritual and curriculum issues and a guest speaker Mac Jenkins (College Old Boy, business owner and elite cricketer) will discuss how he has achieved success in his academic pursuits while also pursuing an elite sporting career and managing his own business.
The Cardoner Network Information Evening Monday 5 May 6pm
Would you like to volunteer at an Immersion or Service Year Placement in 2026? There is an opportunity for your Year 12 students, and their parents, to learn more about a Cardoner experience.
Destinations are diverse and include:
- Thailand
- Nepal
- Micronesia
- Tonga
- Cambodia
- Northern Territory
Ideally, volunteers will be young people who are both passionate about service and keen to have new cultural encounters. Does this sound like you?
To register for the information evening
When: Monday 5th May 2025
Where: The Two Wolves, 202 Broadway, Chippendale
Time: 6.00pm
And finally….
I want to acknowledge the busyness of the past 11 weeks and the tremendous efforts of everyone in our community.
Together, we’ve created a wonderful environment to learn, teach, listen, grow, connect, and build friendships.
It’s been inspiring to witness many stepping out of their comfort zones and realizing they are capable of so much more.
During the upcoming April holidays, I encourage students and families to take time to connect, reflect, recharge, and most importantly, have fun! I wish all those traveling a safe and inspiring time away.
A special wish for our Junior School Rugby team—safe travels and an exciting, successful competition in Armidale!
Wishing you peace, love, and a season filled with endless hope.
