Junior School – Week 5

Diary Dates

Please find below some reminders about key events you need to be aware of for the Junior School in Term 2. For all of the College events, please refer to the College calendar. 

• Tuesday, 31 May – Parents’ Association Meeting, 6pm
• Thursday, 9 June – Junior School Edmund Rice Day
• Friday, 10 June – Founder’s Day Holiday (Pupil-Free Day)
• Monday, 13 June – Queen’s Birthday (Public Holiday)
• Tuesday, 14 June – Junior School Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences (Pupil-Free Day)
• Saturday, 18 June – Final round of Junior School Winter Sport
• Tuesday 21 June – Year 5 History Showcase at 2pm 
• Wednesday 22 June – Year 6 History/Science Showcase at 2pm  
• Thursday, 23 June – House Athletics Carnival 

Running Club Reminder 

When: Monday lunchtimes        

Where: Waverley Park

Dress: Boys may wear PE uniform for the day, if they are participating in Running Club

Parents/Carers: are welcome to attend and parent helpers are welcome to assist coaches when running in the local area – you can meet us at the Junior School at 12:30pm on Mondays

Wet Weather: in the event of wet weather, an announcement will be communicated to the boys at school and on the College app

Please note, it is not compulsory to attend the training sessions to participate in the City2Surf.

Do I Need to Give Permission for my Son to Participate in Running Club?

Yes.

>>> Click here to view and complete the Google form permission slip.

How to Register for the City2Surf and to Join the College Team

>>> Click here to register for the City2Surf and join the College team.

You will need the password: WavCol22

How to Register for the Waverley College Fundraising Page

>>> Click here to register for the Waverley College Fundraising page.

 

Mrs Gabby Smith

Director of Junior School

E: gsmith@waverley.nsw.edu.au

 

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Science Incursion – ‘A Case of Discovery’

Last Friday, both Year 5 and Year 6 attended ‘A Case of Discovery’ science incursion at school. Our students were able to explore real forensic science techniques and apply the science they’ve learnt in class, to solve the case and catch the criminal.

The case created for our students was engaging and exciting. See the case below:

The gold is gone! The jewels are too! Three sneaky thieves have made off with the loot! But when they are arrested the treasure is nowhere to be found. Then, the security guard who reported the robbery is attacked! Why was Joseph attacked and what on earth happened to the stolen goods?

The students were so excited when they saw that the workshop was so ‘hands-on’! Students loved trying the forensic science outfits and using the fingerprint equipment. Overall, it was a unique and fascinating experience! We hope you enjoy the photos of this extraordinary day.

 

Ms Gaby Bransby

Director of Curriculum

E: gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au

 

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Home Learning Club – Week 6 

 >>> Click here to register your son.

If your son is unable to attend, please email the College at nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au or call reception.

2022 ICAS Competitions | Years 5 and 6 Students

If you would like your son to compete in the 2021 ICAS Competitions, you will be asked to nominate the competitions in which you would like him to be entered, through the Parent Payment System.

At the Junior School, the following ICAS competitions are offered: Writing & Digital Technologies, Science & Spelling Bee, English and Mathematics. This year all the competitions will be held in August / September of Term 3, and will be completed before school in the Learning Hub. Dates and times will be confirmed in Term 3. 

>>> Click here to register your son.

Through this system, parents can pay for ICAS directly online, while tests will still be held at our College. Please use the College’s access code details to register your child, no later than the first week in Term 3, Friday, 22 July 2022.

Waverley’s School Access Code UUD072

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.

>>> Click here for more information about the assessments.

If you require additional support registering your son, contact the customer service team. Call Australian Toll-Free Tel 1800 931 775

Sorry Day 26 May and Reconciliation Week 27 May – 3 June

The boys explored the very important theme of ‘Sorry Day and Reconciliation’ through stories written by First Nations Peoples. 

Rich literature is used to encourage valuable discussion on the cultural heritage of the First Nations Peoples. This opens up many opportunities for conversations. 

The boys highlighted many important facts, and we were involved in activities that promote critical thinking, through the use of Visible Thinking Routines. 

This is also an ideal time for families to join the reconciliation conversation with their sons.

Debating Season Begins With a Timely Topic

The debating season has kicked off this term with one win and one loss for Waverley. The boys had their first debate against St Catherine’s. The debate topic was ‘That parents should not allow their children access to the Internet unless it’s for school.’

Both Waverley teams put forward strong arguments and presented their cases clearly and firmly, rebutting the St Catherine’s team’s cases. The boys did themselves and Waverley very proud.

Debating develops important skills that are transferable to other areas: exploring ideas, developing arguments, articulating opinions, building confidence, being able to think on one’s feet, and becoming a good public speaker.

Congratulations on your first debate! Our next debate is against Coogee Boys’ Preparatory on 3 June.

 

Ms Natasha Zivanovic

Literacy & Innovation Teacher

E: nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au

 

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Snapshot of 5 Orange

• English

In English, we have loved having the opportunity to use a program called Writer’s Toolbox. It is a wonderfully motivating online platform, and at the moment we are using it to learn about different sentence types. Writer’s Toolbox makes writing fun and it gives real-time feedback on our efforts.

This week we have learnt about semicolon sentences. This is a way of joining two simple sentences without using conjunctions. A good example is: Billy felt a stinging pain in his wound; he burst into tears immediately.

We did an activity where we wrote a text where a person drank liquid and got special powers. The target words were 300 and you had to include a semicolon sentence in each paragraph. 

By Boyd and Jonah

• Religion

During Religion this Semester, we have learnt about the season of Lent, and how Easter is a time for hope and new life. We have also discussed topics like how to control our feelings and emotions.

Inspired by the teachings of Jesus, we discussed and made a poster full of ideas on how we can better control these feelings and attitudes. For example, we talked about when we get angry, we can take time to talk to God and our family, to express why we are feeling this way. We also have been learning about Edmund Rice

By Hugo D and Jacob P

• Science

This semester in Science, we have been learning about energy, concentrating on electricity and circuits. Our main project is to make a car that can carry an egg three metres, using batteries and motors. Our group used a program to design the car called ‘Tinkercad.’ It is a helpful website where you can design 3D objects. Now we are turning our designs into reality using lego and actual circuits.

By Jet and Jack B

• History

During History lessons, we have been studying multiple historical Australian figures like Pemulwuy, Lachlan Macquarie and Edward Hargraves. We have been assigned to build a history stall for our history showcase in Week 9. To add to the theatre of our booth, we will be dressed as our chosen historical figure.

Here is an example of a document that we used to gather our research, based on questions that we devised.

By Ollie and Mika

• Visual Arts

Over the last two terms, 5 Orange has progressed quite a lot with their visual arts. We began our art by creating awesome Aboriginal dot paintings. We used small turtles on black canvases, and our colour choices added a beautiful storytelling element to our paintings. To support our history learning journey, we painted a picture of us at the goldfields! The results were very humorous!

By Jake and Vincent

Growth Mindset 

In 5 Orange, Mr McKimm regularly talks about having a ‘growth mindset’ in all that we do. To us, this is about never giving up and being determined to achieve your goals.

Like when in sport you don’t always get the team you want, however, you need to be determined to keep trying and move up teams. This thought process can also work in the classroom, if we apply a growth mindset to challenging tasks.

By Jacob R and Louis Coleman

Bucket Filling

In 5 Orange, we have buckets that we can put nice messages in. These messages should fill the buckets of our classmates and make them feel good about themselves. As a class, we have discussed that if you fill a bucket outside of the classroom (and in it), that would mean that you are making somebody’s day, by perhaps performing an act of kindness or saying a kind word.

By Jacob K and Jacob S

Upstander

In 5 Orange this semester, we have learnt about being an upstander. An upstander is someone who sees something wrong or incorrect, and does something about it. People who are upstanders make a huge difference to many people. Read some of our upstander pledges we made last term.

By Ryan and Ollie Burke

Ubuntu

Since we started in 5 Orange, Mr McKimm taught us a very powerful word: Ubuntu. Ubuntu means “I am because we are.” The word was originally used by Nelson Mandela; then adopted by the Boston Celtics. This word teaches and stands for trust, accountability, freedom and teamwork.

By Lachlan and Jack F

High Expectations

Throughout the year, 5 Orange have been focusing on displaying high expectations in all that we do. Borrowing from the All Blacks we use the motto: ‘better men make a better team’. This means that we also have to try our best, work to improve and display lovely manners.

We use the term ‘high expectations’ as a reminder that we always need to be thinking and switched on, so we can perform at our best. We have been using high expectations for tests like NAPLAN, and for things like ending the term.

Benefits of high expectations are that more people care about you, because you’re being nice to them. 

We hope you can apply this to other classes and benefit from it.

By Braxton and George

 

Mr Elliott McKimm

5 Orange Class Teacher

E: emckimm@waverley.nsw.edu.au

 

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Co-Curricular Sport

Please follow the link below to ensure you are up-to-date with any changes to fixtures for this weekend. Please keep a close eye on the Waverley College app for any adjustments due to weather conditions and field closures.

>>> Click here to view the Fixtures.

Continued Training and Game Cancellations

I would like to thank all families for your continued understanding, during a time that has often been challenging and frustrating due to cancelled training and games. 

I feel it is important and also helpful for me to explain how and why the decisions are made to cancel training and games. 

Unfortunately, I and the College have no power over the closure of fields. Queens Park is controlled by Centennial Parklands, and Waverley Park is controlled by Waverley Council. We have no jurisdiction over their decision to close the fields due to the impact of field conditions, rainfalls and weather forecasts. Ground closures usually occur to preserve the fields and also to ensure that there is no long-lasting impact on the grounds.

Please understand that the College does its absolute best to seek alternative options as a result of these closures. But unfortunately, the majority of the time, it is last-minute decisions made by these outside stakeholders. This does make it extremely difficult to secure back-up fields on such short notice.

This is a serious issue, but an issue that isn’t taken lightly. I am always in discussion with the Senior School to seek solutions, but regrettably, we find ourselves at a dead end most times. This is a larger-scale problem than what we can manage as a College, and currently also a state-wide problem that all schools and sporting clubs across NSW are facing.

I wholeheartedly empathise with the level of frustration that families are experiencing right now. I hope that this message goes some way towards helping everyone impacted, to appreciate the complexity and inevitability of the issues.

NSW CIS Touch Football Championships

Waverley Junior School had three students selected in the NSW CIS Touch Football team to represent IPSHA and Waverley at the NSW Touch Football Championships in Tuggerah.

Cooper Misson, Hunter Leondis and Isaac Matheson competed at an extremely high standard and made the College proud. The team only had eight hours of training over two days, playing 12 games total and only losing two.

The team made it to the semi-finals, playing into extra time, but unfortunately lost 3-2, in a nail-biting game. With some phantom touches by the other team, and unlucky calls by the referee, the boys held their heads high and should be hugely proud of themselves for their achievement.

 

Mr Jack Wachtel

Assistant Director of Co-curricular (Years 5-12)

E: jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au