Director of Junior School, Ms Gabrielle Bransby
Diary Dates
Please find below some reminders about upcoming events. For all of Term 1 events, please refer to the College calendar.
- 11 March – Summer Sport – Round 5
- 14 March – Winter Sport Trials, 1 – 3 pm
- 15 March – NAPLAN writing – Year 5
- 18 March – Summer Sport – Round 6 and last for the term
- 20 – 24 March – NAPLAN Week
- 24 March – Winter Sport Trials, 1 – 3 pm
- 29 March – Class and Summer Sports photos
- 29 March – Lacey House Mass
- 30 March – Open Classrooms, 8:40am – 9:10 am
- 31 March – Final Winter Sport Trials, 1 – 3 pm
- 5 April – Classes Conclude
‘Kids Giving Back’
I would like acknowledge and congratulate the following Junior School students who volunteered for the charity ‘Kids Giving Back’ in Term 4 2022, and during the recent December/January school holidays.
- Maximillian Pargeter
- Noah Nunn
- Owen Posada
They were among 980 young people who assisted in providing over 12,500 hot and cold meals, breakfast boxes, snack packs, care packs, writing empathetic, positive messages to 13 charities around Sydney.
‘Kids Giving Back’ described these students as having demonstrated exceptional leadership qualities, compassion, and a strong sense of civic responsibility. They commented that these students truly embodied the spirit of giving back, and they wanted to extend their heartfelt gratitude for their contributions.
Bikes
It is fantastic to see so many boys riding their bikes to and from school. Just a reminder, that any student who is riding their bike to and from school must get a permission slip from Ms Sanchez at the office. As per permission slip, students MUST wear their helmets at all times. Safety of our students is our first priority, and any student who does not have a helmet will not be allowed to ride their bike to and from school.
Ms Gaby Bransby
Director of the Junior School
gbransby@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Harmony Day – Tuesday, 21 March 2023
Harmony Week is the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different backgrounds. It’s about inclusiveness, respect and a sense of belonging for everyone. In line with our Touchstone of Inclusive Community, we will be celebrating Harmony Day on Tuesday, 21 March (Week 8).
Through in-class activities, students will be learning about different cultures. Students will also be diving into deep learning experiences in the Learning Hub using rich literature.
We would also like to celebrate our diversity by asking students to bring in a plate of food from home, that best represents their culture, and that can be shared amongst the class.
To show their support, students are also encouraged to wear a touch of orange as part of their uniform for the day, as well as bring in a gold coin donation to support our CARITAS appeal.
Mother’s Day Mass at Mary Immaculate Church – Friday, 12 May 2023
The celebration of mothers, grandmothers and significant others in the lives of our Waverley College Students, will be celebrated on Friday, 12 May at 12pm (Week 3, Term 2). This will be held at Mary Immaculate Church, followed by a light lunch at the Junior School.
>>> Click here to view the invitation and to RSVP.
Part of the celebration will include a slideshow. Please email a photo of your son(s) with their mothers/grandmothers if you would like a photo included in this presentation to liturgy@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Parish Mass at Mary Immaculate Church – Wednesday, 15 March 2023
On Wednesday, 15 March, both 6 Blue and 6 Indigo will attend Mass at Mary Immaculate Church, beginning at 9:15am. Parents/carers are warmly invited to attend.
Sacrament of Confirmation at St Brigid’s Parish in Coogee
Waverley College students who are part of the parish of St Brigid’s in Coogee, please read the information below.
Children in Year 6 and above are welcome to start preparing to receive their Sacrament of Confirmation.
Online Registration: 24 April – 14 May
Information Session: Saturday, 19 May 4pm at Parish Hall, followed by commitment mass
Confirmation Mass: Wednesday, 28 June
Note: Please have baptism, first reconciliation and first communion certificates ready when registering
Mr Steve Ghattas
Assistant Director of Junior School/Identity & Student Formation
sghattas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Co-curricular Sport – Round 5
As it is Round 5 tomorrow (Saturday, 11 March), I wish all teams the best of luck and ask them to represent Waverley proudly, as I know they will.
Please ensure you 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.
>>> Click here to view all Junior School Co-Curricular information on the Waverley College website.
Winter Co-Curricular Sport Trials
As the Term 1 summer season slowly comes to an end, (until Term 4, when it recommences), we’re beginning our Winter Sports Trials for the upcoming season. The Winter Sports Trials will begin next Tuesday, 14 March.
- Dates: Trial 1 (Tuesday, 14 March), Trial 2 (Friday, 24 March), Trial 3 (Friday, 31 March)
- Times: 1pm – 3pm (students dismissed from the trial location. Please organise pick up arrangements with your son.)
- Location: Queens Park
- Trial Uniform: AFL (Waverley AFL attire or personal AFL attire), Football (Waverley PE uniform), Rugby Union (Waverley Rugby attire or personal Rugby attire)
- Equipment: AFL (football boots, mouth guard), Football (football boots, shin guards), Rugby Union (football boots, mouth guard, protective gear if required) – please organise before the trial on Tuesday
*All students are expected to pack a drink bottle, sunscreen, and anything else personally required.
*All students are expected to attend school in their academic uniform as normal, and get changed into their trial uniform prior to lunchtime.
Junior School staff and supporting coaches will conduct the trial process for the upcoming winter season.
Your son will be informed of his chosen preferences for Winter Sport prior to Tuesday’s trial, as he may have since forgotten.
Unfortunately, I will be avoiding making last-minute changes to preferences, as the amount of teams allocated has been selected based on the original preferences chosen. I will always consider adjustments to preferences, if it is a serious case that needs reviewing.
IPSHA Swimming Carnival
Last Wednesday, 1 March, Waverley Junior School sent our best four swimmers across each age group to compete at the annual IPSHA Swimming Carnival at Sydney Olympic Aquatic Centre. It is always a fantastic experience for our students, competing against majority of the strongest swimmers in central Sydney.
Congratulations to the following swimmers who attended the carnival:
- U10 – Patrick Spencer, Hugo Cuschieri, Leo Mithen, Aidan Gartland
- U11 – Hugo Bindner, Charles Carrano, Fergus Samba Hoare, Luke Haddock
- U12 – Roman Szabo, Jacob Roorda, Louis Coleman, Tobias Panlilio
A further congratulations to the following students who finished in the top four of the first heat, subsequently making it into the IPSHA Swimming Team to compete at NSWCIS against the best swimmers in NSW on Wednesday, 22 March:
- Senior Relay Team – Hugo Bindner, Charles Carrano (U11), Roman Szabo, Jacob Roorda (U12)
- U11 Freestyle – Hugo Bindner, Charles Carrano (U11)
Well done to the following students who finished in the top three for their heat in their specific event:
- Hugo Cuschieri (1st) – Backstroke
- Charles Carrano (2nd) – Butterfly
- Hugo Bindner (3rd) – 100m Freestyle
- Patrick Spencer, Leo Mithen (3rd) – Backstroke
Senior Relay Team
IPSHA Swim Team
Mr Jack Wachtel
Assistant Director of Co-curricular (Years 5-8)
jwachtel@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Year 5 NAPLAN 2023
NAPLAN 2023 dates
| Wednesday, 15 March | Monday, 20
March |
Tuesday, 21
March |
Wednesday, 22
March |
|
| Periods
1 and 2 |
Writing (42 mins)
9am – 10am |
Reading (50 mins)
9am – 10am |
Conventions of Language (45 mins)
9am – 10am |
Numeracy (50 mins)
9am – 10am |
*Catch up tests will be on Thursday, 23 and Friday, 24 March.
Students must bring their fully-charged laptops and headphones to school each day for their assessments.
All students were given a set of headphones in their stationery pack at the beginning of the year, but some are now lost or broken. Please ensure that your son has working headphones by Wednesday.
We wish Year 5 all the best in their NAPLAN over the next two weeks.
Year 5 and 6 Leadership Days
This week, both Years 5 and 6 took part in a day of team challenges designed to promote collaboration, problem-solving skills, and develop their leadership skills. Despite the incredible temperatures, everyone had a wonderful time, developed their connections with peers and learnt a lot.
Sam Burrows (6 Gold) has written about his experience of the day below.
“At our Year 6 Leadership Day (Tuesday, 7 March), Pinnacle Events, an organisation that knows a lot about leadership, came to teach us about what leadership is. They taught us in the form of activities and mind games. To begin with, my group went to the tennis courts where one of the instructors told us about our first game where we had to rearrange some tiles into correct groups. We then walked over to tennis court number two where we had to make a cube out of wooden blocks. People found this very difficult because there were thousands of outcomes and only one solution, however our team managed to pull through and communicate well to be able to complete the challenge.
After recess, we were all split-off into groups and told to go to different sections of the school. First we went to the tennis courts and played a game of kick tennis. The teams were Green vs Conlon. Conlon managed to win the first game, but Green came back and won the other two. After lunch we went to the basketball courts and made rocket powered cars. Of course they weren’t actual rockets, we had to build them ourselves and they were powered by air pressure.
The main thing that we learnt about the important qualities of a leader is working together as a team and that you should always ask others for help when you need it.”
Ms Charlotte Stephens
Assistant Director of Curriculum
cstephens@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Home Learning Club – Week 6
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.
Debating Tryouts – Year 6 Only
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.
On the day he will rebut the student speaking before him. Then he will continue with his own speech.
Reader of the Week
Lunchtime Talk
Our Junior School students were enthralled by Bryn Tilly, a film critic, festival director and programmer, filmmaker, writer and Phoenix’s father (Year 5).
Bryn’s talk was full of motivational stories, writing advice, and the value of reading.
The idea of having a notebook to jot down and collect ideas for their writing was well-liked by the students.
Our favourite of your inspirational quotations is by Henry Miller, who said, “Writing is its own reward.”
The boys could have listened to you all afternoon, thank you for taking the time to inspire the next generation of writers.
Ms Natasha Zivanovic
Literacy & Innovation Teacher
nzivanovic@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Home Learning Week 6 Clean Up!
The week’s core value was responsibility.
In Year 6, students are becoming young adults, and learning to be more responsible at home is a great step forward. For home learning this week, students were asked to help with some cleaning.
Lucien
Finley
Jaden
James
Mr Kendall Robinson
Class Teacher, 6 Indigo
krobinson@waverley.nsw.edu.au
