Ms Gaby Bransby, Director of the Junior School
Celebrating a wonderful Term 2!
I would like to take the opportunity to thank all families for a wonderful Term 2. Some highlights from this term have been the wonderful Year 5 Camp where the boys connected with nature, pushed themselves out of their comfort zones, and made new friendships. Both the Year 5 and Year 6 History Showcases were outstanding this year. The enthusiasm displayed and the quality of work produced were extremely high.
It was amazing to see the commitment and team spirit displayed by all students at Saturday sport and training sessions throughout the term, despite the weather. It has been truly impressive to see the sportsmanship among the students and how far they have developed as a team.
I hope the Parent/Student/Teacher interviews this week were valuable and gave you a chance to connect with your son’s teacher, go through their Semester One Report, and set goals for next term. Knowing where your son is currently academically and socially is vital in order to set new goals and reassess current ones.
I hope the break provides much-needed rest and family time. I look forward to seeing the students return to school in Term 3 renewed and ready to take on Semester 2.
WriteOn Competition 2024
Congratulations to Finn Constable. His imaginative writing has been selected as one of the top entries for the WriteOn 2024 competition. This annual contest, open to NSW primary students in Years 1-6, challenges young writers to craft a creative 500-word story inspired by a specific image. Finn’s piece stood out among numerous submissions and will now advance to the final judging round. A selected panel of school sector and NESA representatives judge the WriteOn competition.
Samuel Loughrey, Jack Bird, Silas Murphy and Alex O’Brien were awarded Highly Commended for their writing submissions.
Code Camp
Code Camp is thrilled to be running Minecraft Engineers at Waverley in Term 3!
Here are the details of your program:
Course: Minecraft Engineers
Day: Wednesday
Dates: Wed 31 Jul to Wed 18 Sep 2024 (8 sessions)
Time: 3:15PM – 4:30PM (75 mins)
Please book using this LINK
Junior School Mini da Vinci Decathlon written by Waverley Students
On Thursday, 13 June, our Year 9 da Vinci Decathlon team hosted the ‘MiniVinci Decathlon’ for students in Years 5 and 6 at the Junior School.
Due to the popularity of the Decathlon held at Knox Grammar School, the event was held as an internal, student-run initiative, with four teams from the Junior School.
This competition required students to compete in teams of eight across 10 disciplines: Engineering, Mathematics, Code Breaking, Art and Poetry, Science, English, Ideation, Creative Producers, Cartography and Legacy.
Our Year 9 team took on the responsibility of supervising teams, marking papers, and overseeing the competition. This student-led initiative provided a remarkable opportunity for us to demonstrate leadership skills and quick-thinking abilities.
Overall, witnessing the level of engagement, involvement and active participation among the Junior School students was truly inspiring, demonstrating promise for future success in academic competitions for these students.
– Alex Avdalis, Year 9
I worked on English and Engineering, as well as on Creative Producers where a team performs a one-minute performance on a given topic. This year’s topic was Going Back and Changing a Mistake You Have Made. The team I was in—Team 6.1—won the event. We got a chocolate medal, a merit, and a da Vinci Decathlon award. It was an overall fun experience.
– Ollie Johnson, 6 Indigo
The Year 6 Winning Team (L to R): Thomas Sheehy, Luke Haddock, Xavier Burns, Sam Fisher, Thomas Taylor, Ollie Johnson, Harry Robinson, Zac Bentley.
The event was marvellously put on by some Year 9 students, Ms Barry from the Senior School and our enrichment teachers Ms Fitzgerald and Ms Edwards, and was an incredible day.
– Thomas Taylor (6 Gold)
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Junior Sport
We are so proud of the boys who represented Waverley at the AFL Paul Kelly Cup on Tuesday this week at Queens Park. The sun was shining and spirits were high as the boys laced up to take on their rival schools. They played 5 games overall, dominating each match to play the top team in the semi-finals.
1st game: 30-0 win against Woollahra PS
2nd game: 70-7 win against St Andrew’s PS
3rd game: 32-15 win against Randwick PS
Semi Final: 32-10 win against St Andrew’s PS
As final teams were announced, to no surprise the Waverley boys were in. With the Waverley chant being heard from across the oval, the boys took on their opponents to win the grand final 41-2.
Highlights of the day were first goals kicked by Ziggy Sarkozy, Cillian Stankard and Bart Carmody, coach Cian getting saturated by water bottles in celebration after the win and Jordy’s fluoro pink sock and boot combination that could be seen from anywhere sprinting down the field. The boys will play at the Regional Final in Five Dock in the upcoming months.
I wish everyone a safe and enjoyable winter break, and look forward to Rounds 8 to 10 of Winter Sport continuing next term. Training will resume in the first week of Term 3.
Ms Jade Sparks
Assistant Director of Co-curricular (Junior School)
jsparks@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Home Learning Term 3, Week 1
We offer all students in Year 5 and Year 6 the opportunity to receive free additional support after school for the completion of home learning tasks. The afternoon sessions also provide a quiet, supervised study space for students who want to complete their assigned tasks.
Home Learning Club operates in the Learning Hub from 3pm until 4pm – Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – during school term unless there is a scheduled Professional Development meeting and the club will be closed.
Procedures
Register your son HERE
Only register his name once to allow other students the opportunity to attend. The session is limited to 20 spots. There will be a roll call to ensure attendance.
Students are required to stay for the full session unless there is a message in the student diary requesting early leave, a parent’s signature will be required.
Behaviour
As it is important to respect the rights of others to learn and work, all students are expected to settle to work in the Learning Hub and not cause a disturbance for others.
Teachers
Monday
Mrs Natasha Zivanovic
Tuesday and Wednesday
Ms Gaby Bransby
Thursday
Mr Steve Ghattas
If you require any further information, feel free to contact us.
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
An important note to remember, if afternoon training sessions are cancelled, unfortunately, you cannot send your son to Home Learning as an alternative plan, students are registered for the afternoon sessions in advance and the capacity is always reached.
Avoid messaging your son during this period, unless it is urgent.
2024 ICAS Competitions | Years 5 and 6 students
What is ICAS?
ICAS is an online academic competition designed to assess students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills in English, Mathematics, Science, Writing and Digital Technologies.
Each assessment celebrates students’ accomplishments by providing opportunities for recognition and development. Every student who participates will receive a printed certificate and an online results report. Top performers will be eligible for medals.
If you would like your son to compete in the 2024 ICAS Competitions, you will be asked to nominate which competitions you would like him to be entered in through the Parent Payment System. At the Junior School, the following ICAS competitions are offered: Writing & Digital Technologies, Science & English and Mathematics.
This year all the competitions will be held in August / September, Term 3 and will be completed online in the Learning Hub before school starts. A timetable will be shared closer to the assessment dates.
Click HERE to register your son. Through this system, parents can pay for ICAS directly online while tests will still be held at our school. Please use the school’s access code details to register your child no later than July 23, 2024.
Waverley’s School Access Code: YGC063
Please consider carefully before choosing this enrichment opportunity for your son. It is a rigorous competition with many questions set beyond grade level. Participants are required to demonstrate a deeper, integrated and thorough level of learning. If you are unsure of your son’s suitability, please consult with his teacher. More information about the assessments can be found here.
If you require additional support registering your son contact the customer service team on 1800 931 775
EXAM TIMETABLE TERM 3
All ICAS exams will be sat before school in the Learning Hub.
| WEEK | START TIME | DATE | ICAS EXAM |
| 3A | 8am | Wednesday 7 August | Digital Technologies |
| 8am | Thursday 8 August | Writing | |
| 4B | 8am | Wednesday 14 August | English |
| 5A | 7:45am | Thursday 22 August | Science |
| 6B | 8am | Wednesday 28 August | Mathematics |
Book Week Competitions
Term 3 is nearly upon us and in August we will be celebrating Book Week at the Junior School. The theme this year is Reading is Magic.
All students from the Junior campus are encouraged to enter one or both of the competitions running for Book Week.
Pop-up Bookshop
An essential aspect of supporting your son with his reading is to allow him to make his own book choices. The Pop-up Bookshop will be running in Term 3 Week 4. This year I would like to continue with a sustainable and cost-effective Pop-up Bookshop.
If you would like to help with this initiative you can donate pre-loved books that will be sold a very reduced amount. The amounts raised will be donated to one of the Edmund Rice foundations.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Teacher of Literacy & Innovation
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Junior School Music
In Music this term, both Year 5 and 6 have been exploring the musical concept of ostinatos; or repeated rhythmic patterns found in music.
Using the viral YouTube video ‘Potter Puppet Pals: The Mysterious Ticking Noise’ as inspiration, students then recorded their own versions into GarageBand using the MIDI keyboard, following the notation of the original.
They could then assign each part an instrument of their own choice.
Below is an example from one of our Year 6 students; a screenshot of the project and the audio to listen to.
Mr Jonathon Bowden
Music and Drama Teacher
jbowden@waverley.nsw.edu.au
