Diary Dates
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 1 events, please refer to the College calendar.
- 4 March – Summer Sport – Round 3
- 6 March – Pupil-Free Day – Staff Spirituality Day
- 8 March – Aungier House Mass
- 8 March – Open Day
- 11 March – Summer Sport – Round 4
- 14 March – Winter Sport Trials
- 15 March – NAPLAN writing – Year 5
- 18 March – Summer Sport – Round 6
- 20 – 24 March – NAPLAN Week
- 24 March – Winter Sport Trials
- 29 March – Class and Summer Sports photos, Lacey House Mass
- 30 March – Open Classrooms TBA
- 31 March – Final Winter Sport Trials
- 5 April – Classes Conclude
Junior School App Announcements
All Junior School announcements via our Waverley App will always have ‘JS:’ at the beginning of the title. All co-curricular announcements sent out from Senior School are not related unless it references JS at the beginning of the titled announcement.
There has been some confusion lately, and we want to make sure this is cleared up for all Junior School families.
Elephant Education
Thank you so much to all the parents and carers who attended our webinar on Embracing Change and Puberty. I have attached the Slides from the presentation.
Our students had their first session on Tuesday, and the feedback from the student surveys were excellent. Please have a conversation with you son to discuss the topics and any further questions they may want to discuss with you.
Click here to view the presentation slides
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Project Compassion Appeal – Supporting CARITAS
As part of our Lenten Appeal, the students have been asked to make a promise to help support CARITAS. During the 6 Gold Assembly, as well as through in-class activities, students have been looking at the different ways in which CARITAS is helping to support those who are less fortunate than others.
Students have been encouraged to use part of their weekly pocket money or do extra chores around the house, to help to fulfil their pledge. We thank you in advance for your generosity.
World’s Greatest Shave
With no screening programs available and no means of prevention through lifestyle changes, blood cancer is Australia’s hidden cancer crisis.
Every day, 53 Aussies are diagnosed with blood cancer, and 16 will lose their life.
We can’t delay taking action together.
That’s why, as a College, we have decided to take part in the Leukaemia Foundation’s ‘World’s Greatest Shave.’ We’ll be raising crucial funds that help give those facing blood cancer all the support and information they need, while driving breakthrough research projects discovering better ways to diagnose and treat blood cancer.
You have the power to help us make an extraordinary difference. Big or small, every donation counts. Will you help by sponsoring us?
Our top five Junior School fundraisers will have the opportunity to have their head shaved (optional) in front of the Junior School at lunchtime in Week 7 to celebrate their wonderful efforts in donating to such an important charity.
Alternatively, you can help to support by clicking the button below.
Click here to view the Lacey house World's Greatest Shave donation page
Years 5 and 6 Student Leaders
I am pleased to announce the Years 5 and 6 Student Leaders for Semester 1 2023. I look forward to working with them over the next couple of terms, and hope that they can be good role models to the rest of their peers.
| Year 5
Captains |
Year 5
Vice Captains |
Year 6
Captains |
Year 6 Vice Captains | |
| Blue | Thomas Sheehy | Cruz Peralta | Franklin Pyke | Boyd Haslam |
| Gold | Leo Mithen | Toby Armson | Sam Burrows | Leo Vigil |
| Indigo | Fergus Samba Hoare | Tom Johnston | Noah Dalton | Louis Coleman |
| Orange | Hugh Rachel | Hugo Cuschieri | Jack Baker-Sedgman | Marcus-Millard |
| Red | Ruben Lopez Crestani | Harrison Hughes | Andreas Alexandratos | Samuel Powell |
| White | Finn Constable | Alastair Dunn | Vincent Lee | Leo Bowers |
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Junior School/Identity & Student Formation
sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Pinnacle Leadership Days
Next week, we are excited for the Junior School to take part in a day of activities to develop their Leadership and Team Building skills.
- Year 6 will take part on Tuesday, 7 March 2023
- Year 5 will take part on Wednesday, 8 March 2023
Throughout each day, students will work in their Houses as teams, to take part in an array of team-building, survivor-style activities. These activities are focused on building stronger connections and friendships through developing communicative, collaborative and problem-solving skills.
Students will need to wear their PE uniform for the day, and are strongly encouraged to wear their House colour shirt if they have one.
Preparing for NAPLAN
The National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) is a point in time assessment of literacy and numeracy skills that are essential for every child to progress through school and life.
Students in Years 5, 7 and 9 participate in the annual NAPLAN tests in writing, reading, conventions of language (spelling, grammar and punctuation) and numeracy.
Our school will be participating in NAPLAN Online between 15 and 24 March 2023.
We do not recommend excessive preparation for NAPLAN Online, however, if you are looking for any resources to familiarise your son with the online testing platform, click the button below to view the public demonstration site.
Click here to view the NAPLAN public demonstration site
We truly believe that we prepare our Waverley students through the quality teaching and learning experiences they already receive in the classroom.
Our Year 5 teachers will be offering opportunities for Year 5 to become familiar with the NAPLAN interface, and utilising Education Perfect to set some NAPLAN-style practice questions in the lead up. We hope for this to be a stress-free and supported experience for all of our students.
Ms Charlotte Stephens
Director of Curriculum
cstephens@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Co-Curricular Sport – Round 4
As it is Round 4 tomorrow (Saturday, 4 March), I wish all teams the best of luck and ask them to represent Waverley proudly, as I know they will.
Please ensure your refer to the Waverley College app announcements each week, as I will continue to send out the weekly Sports Fixtures for each round.
Families can also locate all relevant Junior School co-curricular information through the College website by clicking the button below.
External Sporting Commitments
State SLSC Championships
A number of Waverley Junior School students competed in the State SLSC championships over the weekend and the results are fantastic! These are just the final results for the Bronte U11s team:
- 4th Board Relay – Xavier Darragh and Oscar Barrow
- 5th Surf Team – Luke Haddock, Xavier Darragh, Oscar Barrow
- 7th Board Rescue – Oscar Barrow and Luke Haddock
- 20th Surf Race – Oscar Barrow
- 27th Surf Race – Luke Haddock
Roman Szabo also managed to get into five finals in the water, which is an amazing feat as they raced one race after the other, and ended up in a battle of fitness. He achieved the following:
- Bronze in Swim Team
- Gold in Cameron relay
- 8th in State in Ironman
- 10th in Individual Swim
- 10th in Individual Boards
The heats started with around 120-150 kids and got whittled down, which is a massive accomplishment for our students. I would like to congratulate all Waverley students who competed over the weekend.
Junior Oztag State Championships
On the weekend, Louis Coleman, Hugo Cummins, Joey Di Blasio, Jack Sedgman, Talin Opai, Oscar MacDomhnaill, Kalin Fisher and Jackson MacAskill competed at the Junior Oztag State Championships in Coffs Harbour.
The boys played six games over two days, and finished 3rd in their pool, against strong competition. We celebrate these students’ achievements and are proud of their team efforts.
Junior Oztag State Championships
Junior Oztag State Championships
Junior Oztag State Championships
Junior Oztag State Championships
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-curricular (Years 5-8)
jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Home Learning Club – Week 5
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
Click here to register your son
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/carer 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 and Wednesday – Ms Natasha Zivanovic – nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
- Tuesday and Thursday – Ms Gaby Bransby – gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
If you require any further information, feel free to email us.
Important
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. Try to avoid messaging your son during this period, unless it is urgent.
Reader of the Week
Vincent enjoys reading graphic novels – comics! If your son has never read a graphic novel before, encourage him to do so. It is also on the Waverley Reading Challenge as one of the reading categories.
Lunchtime Talk
It was a privilege to have Brad Burke as our very first guest speaker for 2023. Brad, the father of Tom (Year 8) and Ollie (Year 6), is the Director of OrthoSure, an orthopaedic company that provides a range of unique, world-class medical devices to enrich the quality of life for patients.
It was a full house with aspiring students wanting to learn all about the world of bones, surgery and orthopaedic implants.
Thank you for taking the time out to inspire our Junior School boys.
Our Junior School ‘Lunchtime Talks’ always inspire. This week we met Brad Burke, dad of Tom (Year 8) and Ollie (Year 6). It was a full house with aspiring students wanting to learn all about the world of bones, surgery and orthopaedic implants!
Debating Tryouts – IPSHA Team
The Junior School debating tryouts are on Thursday, 16 March (Week 7) in the Learning Hub, Period 1. If your son would like to try out for the IPSHA team, he will need to do the following:
- Choose one of the below topics:
- That technology is harmful to our friendship
- That typing is better than writing
- That we should ban school assemblies
2. Write a 1-2 minute speech taking the side of the affirmative or negative.
3. On the day he will rebut the student speaking before him. Then he will continue with his own speech.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Year 5 White – Around the Classroom!
This week, 5 White engaged in many fun activities that taught us about the history and culture of Australia’s First Nations People.
Our favourite lesson was Aboriginal Art Therapy. We used watercolour paints and pastel crayons to create an art piece that reflected our feelings, thoughts and emotions in the moment.
The joy of listening to music by Indigenous artist Scott Darlow, and moving to it freely, while making marks on the paper, was therapeutic and mesmerising.
We hope you enjoy looking at our beautiful art pieces at the top of this page.
Thoughts from Joe and Ollie
“Everyone in the class enjoyed this activity and made splendid artworks that made the classroom feel warm and vibrant. During the painting experience, we felt relaxed, happy and calm.”
By Joe Roy and Ollie Johnson
Ms Chloe-Jane Tweedie
Classroom Teacher, 5 White
ctweedie@waverley.nsw.edu.au
