A most appreciative audience of parents, family members, friends and staff were treated to an evening of wonderful music ranging from soloists, choirs, rock bands, guitar ensembles, string ensemble, jazz ensembles and concert bands. All soloists and ensembles were well prepared and eager to showcase the vast talent of the boys from Waverley College and the girls from St Clare’s who play in our ensembles.
Showcasing our gifts at the Music Festival 2021
This event would not have been such a success without the generous support and work from the following members of the music department:
Talented acoustic guitarists
Bass guitarist extraordinaire!
Evan Service, winner of the inaugural piano competition division 2, plays Solfeggietto by Bach
Other members of staff who did an amazing job assisting on the evening were Ms Catherine Sharp in printing the programme, and Mr Angus McPherson and Mr Bishoy Wasef for their technical, lighting and photographic expertise.
I would also like to acknowledge and thank all the parents who freely volunteered their time on the night to assist in the serving of food and beverages. Thank you to those who baked cakes and donated food and drinks for the night. Thank you to Ms Naomi and Mr Greg Isaac who did an amazing job producing so much delicious food, and Mr Simon Trustrum and Mr Joe Rede for organising all the drinks.
I would especially like to thank the members of the Music Supporters’ Club: Ms Christina Leonard, Ms Karen Birrell and Mr Joe Rede who along with Keiran assisted in making this such a successful night.
Mr Chris Balkizas
Head of Music
E: cbalkizas@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Music Festival 2021
Music teacher Ms Jaz Dolso leads the choir at the Music Festival 2021
Striking strings at the 2021 Music Festival
Thank you for the music!
Year 12 Legal Studies students recently took part in a HSC essay writing workshop led by Mr Christian DeVillar, a highly experienced HSC Legal Studies examination marker. Christian shared valuable insights into the HSC marking process including what markers look for in a response and how to write a top response. Students refined their skills in legal essay writing techniques, constructing legal arguments, using court cases and legislation, and making effective legal judgements. Christian shared detailed knowledge of criminal cases as well as his own personal stories working with young offenders in juvenile detention. The class was kept both informed and amused throughout the workshop, gaining much from this valuable experience.
Christian DeVillar Sharing Valuable Insights as an HSC Legal Studies Examination Marker
Ms Marie-Anne Maakrun
Assistant Director Identity and Student Formation
E: mmaakrun@waverley.nsw.edu.au
In the year 2000, 300,000 Australians including Waverley students, walked across the Sydney Harbour Bridge as part of National Reconciliation Week (NRW). The theme this year was, ‘More than a word, Reconciliation takes action.’ The College held a number of events last week to mark NRW for students and staff.
Uncle John Allen officially opened Reconciliation Week at the College with a Smoking Ceremony and blessing in the Centenary Quadrangle. During the week, Zachary Bennett-Brook, a contemporary Indigenous artist of Torres Strait Islander ancestry and owner of Saltwater Dreamtime painted a mural adjoining the Kenny Quad. His trademark work integrates his passion for the ocean and the environment, and has gained him global recognition including work at Bondi Beach.
Students and staff enjoyed interacting with Zac and watching him as he worked. His finished mural (below) is painted in Waverley colours, with the smaller dots representing students and the larger dots representing teachers, staff and families making up the Waverley Community. The lines are symbolic of the diversity in the community and the different pathways and journeys that each person takes. Our Aboriginal students from Years 5 – 11 attended a special lunch with Zachary and heard him speak about his upbringing and journey in life that brought him to his current success.
Artist Zachary Bennett-Brook and the New Waverley Mural
The National Reconciliation Week College Assembly run by students, concluded the week’s celebrations with special guest speaker, Michael O’Loughlin. The presentation of the newly-designed College Indigenous jersey, designed by talented artist Billy Reynolds, was a highlight of the event.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to reconciliation, and in playing our part we collectively build relationships and communities that value Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, histories, cultures, and futures.” — Reconciliation Australia.
Ms Marie-Anne Maakrun
Assistant Director Identity and Student Formation
E: mmaakrun@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Last Friday, 4 June, Year 10 completed their first session of the Land, Sea, Air Drawing incursion with artist Tania Mason.
Students experimented with a variety of techniques and processes to create samples in charcoal, ink and watercolour. For each medium, students were encouraged to push the boundaries in terms of mark making and application techniques to create unique representations of local flora and fauna.
Students engaged with the artist’s practice and learnt a lot from tutorials demonstrated by Mason as she simplified her process and demonstrated how to build these materials through layering to create a resolved work.
These fundamentals learnt in the first session will be built on next term, when Tania Mason returns for the second and final incursion.
Ms Natalie Oates
Head of Visual Arts
E: noates@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Year 11 students of Studies of Religion II were immersed in aspects of the Jewish faith on Friday 4 June. They attended the Great Synagogue in the city and heard from the rabbi about aspects of Jewish worship and life, including the lack of images of God in their place of worship, the separation of women and men in an Orthodox synagogue and the centrality of the Torah in rituals. The students also experienced the wearing of kippahs to signify humility in the presence of the transcendent God.
Following a walk to Darlinghurst, the next aspect of the day was at the Sydney Jewish Museum. This program was specifically tailored to the Studies of Religion Preliminary Course and included a tour and lecture. Aspects covered included an understanding of the branches of Judaism, sacred scripture and rituals. The students were able to get a hands-on experience of significant themes in the lives of Jews in Australia. It is hoped that these students may return to this museum at a later stage to encounter the impact of the Holocaust on the lives of Jewish adherents.
Ms Martina Cooper
Head of Religious Education
E: mcooper@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
Year 11 Jewish Depth Study Excursion
When studying a foreign language such as Spanish, it is important to be exposed to a variety of authentic resources and experiences to enrich a student’s understanding and appreciation of the cultural contexts in which the language is used, as well as develop an ability to reflect on their own culture.
Last week, Year 12 Beginners and Continuers students had the opportunity to watch a film based on a book written by the Mexican author, Laura Esquival, entitled: Like Water for Chocolate in the Performance Arts Centre. The film was set in 1910 during the Mexican Revolution and presented a visually stunning tale of love and the magical powers of food.
Before watching the film, students were treated to a traditional Spanish breakfast of chocolate caliente, churros y magdalenas. Sampling the delectable treats was an integral part of their incursion, as they were able to appreciate the importance of delicious food and flavours in Spanish cuisine.
Ms Priscilla Quintata
Head of Languages
E: pquintana@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Traditional Spanish breakfast of chocolate caliente, churros y magdalenas. YUM!
On Sunday May 23, the Class of 2021 and their mums came together for a Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House, Hyde Park. The support for the event was a true celebration of the lasting connections and friendships made over the years and an important coming together to mark this final year of school for the students…which is as much a milestone for their mums!
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Sons together at the 2021 Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
Mother & Son Luncheon at Doltone House
On Friday evening Waverley competed against St Clare’s in the fifth round of the CSDA competition. Students were given topics ranging from socio-political issues about youth detention centres to Australia’s economic influence on the international world stage.
All teams debated confidently, showing great poise in delivering their arguments and rebuttals. Overall, an incredibly successful evening with Waverley winning debates in Years 8, 9, 11 and 12.
Well done to all teams, and I look forward to Round 6 this Friday 4 June against St Mary’s Cathedral College.
Ms Emma Halpin
Convenor of Debating and Public Speaking
E: ehalpin@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Congratulations to Tevlin and Green Houses on winning the inter-House Junior and Senior Basketball competition yesterday. Great sportsmanship was exhibited by all teams and it was terrific to see the level of support given by all the Houses. Well done to Brennan and Aungier House Prefects on their organisation of this event. It was great to see so many students involved. Well done!
Tevlin House Basketball Champions 2021
Inter-House Junior and Senior Basketball Competition
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Identity and Student Formation
E: swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
An enriching time was had by all as we came together to participate in National Simultaneous Storytime read from the International Space Station.
It was great to have the participation of the Junior School, Year 7 science, the Science faculty, the College Enrichment coordinator, the College Literacy coordinator and Director of Curriculum all join us and the library team for an inspirational morning.
Click here to view our participation certificate!
Year 7 Science at National Simultaneous Storytime in the Senior Library
Junior School at National Simultaneous Storytime in the Senior Library
Mr Bill Roberts
Head of Library
E: wroberts@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Last Friday, Year 12 PDHPE students traveled to the Sydney Academy of Sport at Narrabeen. The focus of the day was to refine students’ understanding of content undertaken in the PDHPE syllabus for Core 2 ‘Factors Affecting Performance’ and the Option ‘Sports Medicine’. The students gained valuable insights into many facets of exercise science, physiology, training principles as well as experiencing the life of an elite professional athlete.
Students volunteered to undertake VO2max testing and lactate analysis. Surrounded by a team of exercise physiologists, the students undertook a 30-minute incremental test on a treadmill, pausing briefly every two minutes for lactate analysis via a blood sample taken from the ear and an RPE (rating of perceived exertion) score. Both students ran to exhaustion and provided the rest of the group with some excellent data for discussion later in the afternoon.
Over lunch, students were also able to observe a resistance training session undertaken by the Manly Sea Eagles NRL team. Students were put through a number of different forms of ‘Recovery Strategies’ including hydrotherapy, cryotherapy, ice baths and pool rehabilitation.
Special thanks to the exercise scientists at the Sydney Academy of Sport who gave up their time and expertise to provide lectures and conduct a range of tests on Waverley students, as well as Ms Gair for assisting in the organisation of the excursion.
Mr Patrick Darvill
Head of PDHPE
E: pdarvill@waverley.nsw.edu.au
On Friday evening Waverley competed against Brigidine College, Randwick in the second round of the CSDA competition. All teams did a fantastic job and showed great confidence in their arguments and rebuttals. We almost came away with a clean sweep, winning debates in Years 7, 8, 9, 11 and 12 – well done!
Students were tasked with arguing the need for personal devices in the classroom, exploring ideas about social development, academic progress, and fact versus fiction in a technological world. All teams left their debates with a stronger grasp of socio-economic issues both within and outside of the school classroom.
Well done once again to our Senior team, and I look forward to Round 3 this Friday, 14 May against Marcellin College.
Ms Emma Halpin
Convenor of Debating and Public Speaking
E: ehalpin@waverley.nsw.edu.au
We would like to acknowledge the Gadigal people of the Eora nation who are the traditional Custodians of the land on which Waverley College is located. We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging. We are committed to honouring Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual connections to the land, waters, seas and sky and their rich contribution to society.
Watch our video
