This week, we celebrated Ash Wednesday which marks the beginning of Lent. A time when we reflect on the life of Jesus and seek to emulate how he treated all those he met. Our student-led liturgy highlighted the importance of reflection and gratitude.
Students were asked to think beyond “giving up” physical things and to concentrate on “giving up” characteristics that prevent them from becoming the best versions of themselves, such as impatience, anger or selfishness.
The ashes that were received represent the sacrifice Jesus made for each one of us, and Lent offers everyone the opportunity to challenge themselves to live the best life possible.
Thank you to those people who helped prepare such a meaningful liturgy and we look forward to a wonderful Easter ceremony.
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Tuesday at lunch time saw Kiri Barber, a Kapa Haka tutor, join our students for some valuable Haka lessons.
A spirited time was had by all the students and we look forward to developing our cultural skills and awareness over the coming months.
Special thank you to Kiri for making time for us and to Ms Romijn for organising Kiri to assist us.
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Hudson Langan-Stark (Year 7) has wanted to be a Marine Biologist since he was seven. His wish came true when he joined the organisation called ‘Little Dreamers’, which supports the siblings of those who have disabilities.
Husdon’s wish was to go to Townsville and be a Marine Biologist for a day at James Cook University (JCU), which has a top marine science program.
Below is Hudson’s recount of his time at JCU:
“At JCU, I got to do many exciting activities, but one of my favourites was working at The Caraplace. The Caraplace is the world’s first and only turtle health research facility. There, I got to learn all kinds of facts about sea turtles, but I also learned that funding for the facility was quite difficult. The reason why it is so hard, is that many organisations give grants to continue research, but the sea turtles still need food, holding containers, maintenance of their filters, and other basic needs. So, to give back to the Caraplace for giving me my dream experience and the opportunity of a lifetime, I want to raise enough money to help the turtles so that we can continue researching healthy turtles.”
Hudson is hoping to make a difference in this cause very close to his heart, and would appreciate the support of anyone who is in a position to donate to the continued research of healthy turtles.
Would you like to help? Click the button below to view Hudson’s GoFundMe page.
Shrove Tuesday saw the smell of pancakes, syrup and ice cream fill the Centenary Quad. Thank you to all those students who supported our Project Compassion fundraiser, and especially to all those who brought in pancakes on the day.
We sold over 44 litres of ice cream and topping with our pancakes and raised over $1,000!
Well done to all our Prefects who served on the day.
Ms Sue Walsh
Director of Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Last Wednesday, our Year 11 Sport Life and Recreation students visited Point Piper Kayak Centre. The day involved lifesaving and paddle boarding activities along with a kayaking expedition to Shark Island in the beautiful Sydney Harbour.
Students grasped an understanding of the importance of physical activity in outdoor environments, and the incredible benefits this can have on their lifestyle and wellbeing.
Today we celebrated our very special Commencement Mass for 2023. The theme of our Mass this year is based on our Year 12 motto of “Speak with Respect, Act with Integrity.”
This Mass also saw the induction of 10 Eucharistic Ministers from Years 11 and 12. These included: Connor Andrews, Mitchell Cahill, Remy Frampton, Marcus Kastrissios, Oliver Malzard, Hugh McDonald, Lachlan Miranda, Jack Preller, Liam Russell, Tom Shahinian.
It is wonderful to see so many young men willing to take up the challenge of bringing Christ to our community and enriching our liturgies.
Thank you to all who made our Mass such a special celebration today from Fr Bernie, to our musicians and choir, our Maintenance Team, Mr Sposari, Mr Ghattas, Mr Stanton, and all our teachers and students who read or participated.
This year represents an important milestone in our College’s faith journey, and we look forward to celebrating our 120 Year Mass on 15 August, in conjunction with the Feast of the Assumption.
Ms Suzanne Walsh
Director of Identity
swalsh@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Thank you to all who helped celebrate 120 Years of Education at Waverley by attending our Garden Party at the end of January.
We begin our school year celebrating a group of students who are making a positive impact on the lives of those in our local community.
The Centre for Volunteering is a not-for-profit organisation with over 45 years’ experience providing leadership on volunteering in NSW. 19 Waverley College students and four Old Boys have been awarded a certificate from the NSW Volunteer Recognition Program.
This award acknowledges the exceptional efforts and contributions our students have made through their participation in the Service component of the Duke of Edinburgh award over the last two years.
We are immensely proud of the compassion and maturity the following students have displayed.
Congratulations to: Xavier Quinn, Theo Varvaressos, Robbie Muir, Riley Hassey, Max Court, Liam Wood, Jo Vonwiller, Jay Briggs, James Medland, James Iatrou, Jack Tindale, Finn Stranix, Finn Backlund, Finlay Chandler, Deuchar Dezarnaulds, Campbell Porteus, Campbell Groves, Angus Birrell, Alistair Isaac, Charlie Alexander (Class of 2022), Brandon Reid (Class of 2022), Conor Boyd-Boland (Class of 2021), Dane Perica (Class of 2021).
Congratulations to Jonty Booy and Liam Davis (Class of 2022), who had their HSC Major Project Short Films accepted into the SAE FlickerUp Youth Shorts division of Flickerfest 2023.
This is a prodigious achievement, as the festival received 3,200 films for this year’s screening, and less than 5% were accepted.
Talented brothers James Iatrou (Year 12) and Constantine Iatrou (Year 10) were also selected as finalists.
These students’ remarkable films screened on 28 January at the Bondi Pavilion.
We also acknowledge the hard work and expertise of Ms Natalie Oates (Head of Visual Arts) in prompting and helping with their submissions.
Click here to view the incredible finalists in this year's Program
‘Consumption’ – humankind’s propensity to over consume in the hope it will give us meaning to things we don’t fully understand. Director, writer and producer: Jonathan Booy
‘The Future Is Yours’ – a heartwarming story of two brothers making it in the film industry. Director, writer and producer: James and Constantine Iatrou
Thomas Walker and Keyaan Abrahams (Year 11) were successful in their recent applications to undertake work experience with Fire and Rescue NSW.
They have spent this past week working productively at FRNSW Emergency Services Academy. They absolutely loved every minute of it.
Congratulations, Thomas and Keyaan for being such impressive ambassadors for our College.
Ms Kath Knowles
Senior Studies & Careers Coodinator
kknowles@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Over the past few weeks, students in Mr Lind’s 7.1 Science class worked in teams to confront two critical questions:
and
Trying on the role of junior engineers for the week, the boys designed wind turbines to test their hypotheses for maximising wind power. By evaluating the project, it became evident that the boys key takeaways differed, depending on their personal interests.
For Kobey Sager, the windmill experiment supported his understanding of the brake and accelerant potential of wind in the building of his go-cart, whereas Alex Janis noted the ramifications for flags at the beach, and Harry Trinca considered the role of windsocks at the airport.
Later in the week, the focus on potential energy shifted from fans to food, specifically, what types of food have the most potential energy? For these self-professed hungry students, an investigation of this nature was of the utmost importance! What better way to learn about the energy content in food than to burn some in the Science lab? Beginning with the humble potato chip, the boys quickly learnt that a big flame equaled a high fat content but energy fizzled fast, whereas chocolate wafers burnt for the longest time.
Although Mr Lind provided modelling of the reliable scientific research process for the class, he also ensured students had the flexibility to investigate and answer these deep inquiry questions, with the goal of building each student’s ability to handle cognitive complexity.
Each team worked at a different pace, which is consistent with the evaluative nature of many STEM problems, meaning problem solving is an important part of a student’s eventual success. Hands-on opportunities like these support the adoption of a student’s healthy attitude to learning and growth through self reflection, resilience and the sneaky consumption of a chocolate wafer or two!
A selection of boys from the AFL Opens and 9/10 teams who have been selected to train off season, wrapped up their training with the AFL High Performance Squad this morning, and were treated to a delicious BBQ breakfast put on by some of the parents.
Mr Ben Shorthouse and Mr Gerard Pignatelli have done an amazing job of pushing these boys hard, both physically and mentally during the off season.
What a brilliant end to an excellent year!
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.
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