It was with great pleasure that the school community came together this week to celebrate a new expression of student academic achievement. This year has seen the introduction of the Academic Growth Award. This award is presented to students who have achieved a significant gain in their Grade Point Average (GPA) across their subjects. They have also demonstrated the dispositions that we value at Waverley College – resilience, determination and curiosity. They set goals and work hard to achieve them with a growth mindset, positive work ethic, sustained application and high expectations of themselves and others.
Contemporary educational research suggests that broadly defined and acknowledged measures of success will enable young people to graduate with confidence and capacity to successfully navigate post-school pathways and life experiences. (Looking to the Future (Shergold) Report, 2020).
I am proud that Waverley has always been proactive and courageous in supporting this sentiment. For many years we have committed to a holistic education for our students, recognising the importance of acknowledging and celebrating success in all its measures. We want our young people to be happy at school as well as flourish post-school. We want to open doors, not narrow pathways. The interests of our students are front and centre and we educate for the diverse learnings that make the whole person.
It is encouraging that our governing body, Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA) supports this paradigm shift of what success looks like. They acknowledge ‘that excellence and improvement can be viewed in a variety of ways and that evidence of success is gathered, interpreted and celebrated holistically.’ (EREA Strategic Directions, 2020-2024).
Leading educational researchers, Hattie and Larsen (2020), recently commented that “the purpose of schooling is to help young people to uncover and recognise their particular talents that, appropriately nurtured through the school experience, will influence their future happiness.” This continues to be a priority area of the College.
I look forward to presenting further Academic Growth Awards at future assemblies.
Please click here to view the recipients of the Academic Growth Awards
According to Google Trends, Chess is reaching peak popularity via the search engine in 2023, so far. An unprecedented explosion of interest in the game is nowhere more apparent than in our own College community, where talk of Chess, and the playing of games against fellow students, teachers and, even AI, is booming.
Fads, or, as our students now know them, TikTok trends, come and go, but historical sources demonstrate that versions of Chess have been played for roughly 1,400 years. It’s one of the oldest and most widely played games in the world, and has attained a cultural and intellectual significance that few other activities can match.
Chess, of course, is a game of strategy. And although tactics can indeed define a game’s outcome, good strategic play creates the opportunity for tactical shots in the first place. Chess has a long and celebrated history at Waverley College, as our students have engaged in both inter school and Sydney-wide competitions for decades, so how can we take this burgeoning interest and apply it to increase student engagement in the classroom?
Chess display in the Senior School Library
Students learn best when they have control over aspects of their learning. At Waverley, our teaching philosophy is underpinned by Françoys Gagné’s model of giftedness, which supports teachers to identify outstanding natural ability and nurture talent through the design of high quality teaching and learning opportunities to ensure natural talent can inform high performance.
As educators, we know that motivation can be the discriminating factor that assists students to reach their full potential. With that in mind, I decided to tap into our students’ love of Chess to support their engagement with poetic technique revision in the English classroom. To harness their unique knowledge, students brainstormed the function of each Chess piece on the board and then, through the revision of their poetry techniques, they made connections between the function of each Chess piece and the function of different language techniques. This approach enabled students to transfer their understanding of Chess strategy to inform their deeper understanding of the strategy of language composition.
Chess in the Senior Library
Needless to say, because the students co-created the activity within their strong collegial environment, their responses were insightful and clever:
“The knight is like enjambment, it can jump over pieces and set up attacks and defences, and that’s what enjambment does, it can keep an idea going and disregard the need for full stops or punctuation.”
“The Pawn is like a simile, easy to identify. It achieves a lot but it can feel cliché and bore the reader if overused.”
“The King is like Rhyme, it’s powerful but in modern free verse poetry it is not as dominant you need to use stronger techniques like sibilance, alliteration and assonance.”
Our focus on designing for deep student learning ensures that we strive to meet the unique interests of learners, giving students multiple options for taking in information, making sense of ideas and expressing what they learn. In this case, 7.09 demonstrated their ability to lead their learning and move from surface knowledge to embrace a deeper conceptual understanding by connecting two differing frameworks through their shared functions.
Dear Mothers, grandmothers and significant women in the lives of Waverley College students
Please join us to celebrate Mother’s Day where you can enjoy a light breakfast with your Senior School sons.
Any Junior School siblings are most welcome to attend and can be taken to school at the conclusion of the breakfast.
*Please RSVP by Monday, 1 May.
Waverley Council’s colourful autumn school holiday program offers something for young people of all ages – from soccer, tennis and basketball at Margaret Whitlam Recreation Centre, to LED workshops, creative writing and glass jar decorating at Waverley Library.
Check out Council’s diverse arts, culture and family programming by clicking the buttons below.
Click here to view school holiday events in Waverley
Click here to view and book school holiday events at Bondi Pavilion
Ms Marie-Anne Maakrun
Assistant Director of Student Formation
mmaakrun@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Dear Parents and Carers
Starting 10 April 2023, Waverley Council will be upgrading the intersection at Salisbury Street and Henrietta Street by constructing a continuous footpath and installing a rain garden.
This project is part of Waverley Council’s People, Movement and Places Strategy to improve pedestrian safety and upgrade streetscapes in Waverley.
Residents in Waverley will receive a letter notifying them of works commencing on 10 April 2023. Works are expected to be completed by the end of April 2023, weather permitting.
During construction, some minimal on-street parking will be occupied to allow access for construction vehicles and materials. Traffic will be guided by trained Traffic Control Personnel at this location.
Should you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email Gadia Zrihan, Engagement Officer at Waverley Council gadia.zrihan@waverley.nsw.gov.au
Mr Simon Potter
Director of ICT, Campus and Innovation
spotter@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Students, teachers, parents and carers, please join our Waverley College team in the City2Surf on 13 August in support of local charity, ‘Running for Premature Babies.’ Funds raised will go to life-saving neonatal equipment, giving sick and premature babies a better chance of survival.
Please join us for what will be a fantastic community day out. All fundraising team members will receive a free running tee shirt or singlet. After the race, our team is invited to join the charity in their finish line tent for refreshments, so we can gather to celebrate our achievement.
All welcome! Walk, run or wheel your way to Bondi, have fun, and help save the lives of sick and premature babies.
To find out more about the charity, visit runningforprematurebabies.com
*As per the updated conditions of enrolment and as indicated on the College website, all Years 5 and 7 enrolments, Term 1 tuition fees are charged in Term 4, in the year prior. This includes continuing Year 6 (2023) students into Year 7 (2024). This replaces the “continuing confirmation deposit” usually charged in the 3rd Payment to Year 6. Year 5 and 7 will still receive an invoice in Term 1, 2024 for any applicable sundries, sibling discounts, excursion fees and camps. Please be advised that if this payment is not made by the due date, your son’s enrolment will be forfeited, and his place will be offered to a waitlisted candidate.
Fees paid before 4pm on the prompt payment date attract a $25.00 discount.
Any payment received after the due date will attract an administrative fee of $110.00.
Please be advised that some financial institutions need more than 48 hours to process their payments (e.g. Internet/BPay/BPoint).
Please see the last page of your account for payment method and contact details.
You are reminded that if you wish to withdraw your son from enrolment at Waverley College, you are required to give one term’s notice in writing to the Principal that your son’s enrolment will cease.
The last day you can give notice that your son’s enrolment is finishing at the end of a school term, is the first day of the same term. If not received by that date, a penalty equivalent to one term’s tuition fees will be payable.
The relevant dates for 2023 are below:
Last Friday afternoon I attended a roundtable organised by Mayor Paula Masselos at Waverley Council chambers, along with 16 other key groups/organisations that all have a major influence within the council’s zone. There were representatives from industry, retail, transport, utilities, clubs, and schools. Representatives from government were also present from federal, state and local levels.
Each group presented on what they were doing currently to reduce their carbon footprint, with the goal being Net Zero by 2035. Waverley College has made significant progress with the implementation of solar panelling, water saving devices, tracking our energy usage via the Climate Clever App, native tree planting, native bee hives, awareness campaigns and education, waste management, paper and cardboard recycling, transport audit, First Nation planting project, recycle bins for batteries and technology, clothing bins, Clean Waves Program, the work of our energetic ecology group, and our master plan will see us recycling buildings where possible and aligning them east west in orientation to take advantage of climatic conditions. The group will be reconvening in six weeks to share more ideas across sectors, and to commit to achieve this goal as a collective. The hope is that this will encourage others to change and commit to this target.
Last night, we hosted the Lane Cove Cameraygal Wind Symphony in our first Combined Band Performance alongside The Cliff Goodchild Concert Band. The evening was a great success, concluding in a combined piece with over 75 musicians from both bands performing Verdi’s Dies Irae. Well done to the Music Team, Mr Dan Williams, Mr Chris Balkizas, Mr Chris Blenkinsopp, Ms Jaz Dolso, Ms Jazz De Witte and Ms Keiran Kossenberg.
Edmund Rice Advocacy (ERA) For Change, is a youth advocacy network that stands for equality, human rights, and justice and solidarity with all people, and with the earth itself. Congratulations and thank you to the following students who were involved with the online launch today: Praman Gandhi (Year 8), Axel Stapleton (Year 8), Ethan Khatib (Year 8), Oliver Isaac (Year 8), Oliver Lorimer (Year 8), Oscar Wilson (Year 10), Lachlan Isaac (Year 10), Fox Stapleton (Year 10), Taj Lynn (Year 10),Kayden Baker (Year 10) and James Peate (Year 10).
This webinar is hosted by Elevate Education. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how you can better support your children at home, through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.
In this webinar Elevate will cover:
>>> Click here to read Ms Lynsey Porter’s article to register for this free series.
Applications close 6 April 2023. International Science School will run from 2-15 July 2023 for any Year 11 and 12 Students.
The fully residential International Science School returns to the University of Sydney in July 2023. Join top science students from Australia and around the world for two weeks of inspiring talks by world-renowned scientists, amazing visits to cutting-edge research facilities, loads of hands-on experiments and activities, and a packed program of social events. It’s going to be fantastic; you don’t want to miss this one!
>>> Click on this link for more information and to register.
Years 7 to 10 Student/Parent/Teacher Interviews will be held on Wednesday, 26 April 8:30am – 6:30pm and the booking link will be open for parents/carers from next Friday, 31 March at 9am. Please note bookings will close on Monday, 24 April at 5pm.
In reading through this week’s and last week’s newsletter, there are many notes of thanks in end of summer season articles to staff, officials, parents, carers and students who helped make each respective season a success.
But in this article, I want to particularly highlight and thank the many parents/carers who assist across the College with the organisation of activities, fundraising for resources and cooking BBQs to support all students and visitors. COVID-19 has not helped increase volunteer numbers across many clubs and schools, so I am particularly thankful to those parents/carers who find some time to ensure our hospitality endures. Thank you!
Waverley has a very strong reputation for being friendly, warm, welcoming, and helpful to others, especially strangers. I encourage you to join a committee, join a Supporters’ Group and play your part in building our community. Our College Canteen is also another place that would benefit from your support.
If you are available on any of the following dates, the Canteen would love to have your help, so if you are interested please volunteer using this link.
Lunch is provided for all volunteers.
Dear Parents and Carers
We’re excited to announce that Elevate Education will be hosting a free webinar for our parents and carers on Wednesday, 29 March.
Elevate Education works with our students, delivering high-impact workshops on study skills, motivation, wellbeing, and exam preparation. By tuning into their webinar series you will learn how you can better support your children at home, through reinforcing the skills they learn at school.
In this webinar Elevate will cover:
1. How memory actually works (and how it has nothing to do with brain capacity)
2. The most effective environments to assist in memorisation
3. Techniques you can implement overnight to improve revision
Click here to register for free
Dear Parents and Carers
Please click the button below to view the Uniform Shop Holiday Trading Hours.
International Women’s Day (Wednesday, 8 March), is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating women’s equality. The College celebrated this day with a morning tea at each of its campuses and at assembly this week.
We particularly acknowledge and thank the women that enable Waverley College to thrive and to seek to be better, more equitable, fairer and more responsive to the inequities that exist across Australia and the globe.
Image: courtesy International Women’s Day website
The United Nations theme this year for International Women’s Day is ‘innovation and technology for gender equality’.
Today, a persistent gender gap in digital access keeps women from unlocking technology’s full potential. Their underrepresentation in STEM education and careers remains a major barrier to their participation in tech design and governance. And the pervasive threat of online gender-based violence—coupled with a lack of legal recourse—too often forces them out of the digital spaces they do occupy. We are all challenged to play our part in making the digital world safer, more inclusive and more equitable.
The Workplace Gender Equality Act 2012 (WGEA) is an Australian federal law that aims to promote and improve gender equality in the Australian workplace. The Act applies to non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees, and requires them to report annually on their gender equality performance.
Waverley has a strong commitment to gender equality and promotes gender equity and advancing the rights of women and girls and creating a more inclusive workplace and environment. The 2023 College data shows that the College has made progress towards achieving gender equality and has good reason to be proud of our efforts.
| Female | Male | |
| Senior Leadership | 56% | 44% |
| Middle Leadership | 49% | 51% |
| College Advisory Council | 50% | 50% |
| Teachers | 49% | 51% |
We would like to remind you that our CANVAS Learning Management System is open for Years 5-12 parents and carers, in lieu of a Term 1 progress report.
>>> Click here to view Ms Porter’s full article on this.
Good luck to our Years 5, 7 and 9 students for their NAPLAN tests which begin next week.
>>> Click here to view Ms Lynsey Porter’s full article on this.
‘Kids Giving Back’ is a charity whose mission is to create the next Generation of Generosity. Their programs are delivered for children 6-18 years old and their families, and offer opportunities to assist vulnerable people in the community.
Thank you to the following students who participated in one of their programs during Term 4 of 2022, and over the Christmas holidays.
Interested students can find more details on their website www.kidsgivingback.org
The Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment (the Department), would like to notify you that a request has been made for your child’s school to provide residential address and other information as required under the Australian Education Regulation 2013.
The College is required to provide the Department with the following information about each student at the College:
>>> Click here to view more information.
Today we celebrate St. Patrick, the fifth-century bishop and patron of Ireland, whose life of holiness set the example for many of the Church’s future saints.
St. Patrick was able to use his knowledge of Irish culture and the traditions and symbols of the Celtic people, to help explain Christianity in a way that made sense to the Irish and was thus very successful in converting the pagan people of the time.
The shamrock, which St. Patrick used to explain the Holy Trinity, is a symbol that has become synonymous with Irish Catholic culture. St. Patrick is most revered for bringing Christianity to Ireland, and the foundation he built for the generations of Christians who followed him.
With the College’s founder, Edmund Rice being Irish, the day holds an obvious connection to Waverley along with St Patrick’s life of sacrifice, resilience, and prayer being very relevant for a Catholic community in the 21st century.
Thank you to the many parents/carers who baked cakes and sweets for sale at the St. Patrick’s Day cake stall organised by Ms Sue Walsh and the Identity and Mission Team, along with Year 12 prefects. All money raised will go to the following charities;
St Patrick’s Day cake stall
Congratulations on such a positive start to the NAPLAN testing period on Wednesday with the Writing component.
The remainder that the test sessions are scheduled for next Monday, 20 March to Wednesday, 22 March, as per the testing timetable which is available in the link below.
>>> Click here to view the Senior School NAPLAN timetable.
Students are reminded to bring their charged laptops, headphones and a pen.
Congratulations to both our swimmers and divers who both took out fourth position in last evening’s CAS competition. Both teams performed with great spirit and enthusiasm. Thank you to Ms Nicola Silsby (Swimming convenor), Ms Kath Knowles (Diving Convenor) and Mr Nick Nezval (Head Swimming Coach) and their respective coaching teams for all of their hard work throughout the season. We congratulate Knox (Swimming) and Trinity (Diving) on their respective wins.
We hosted young leaders from around the Eastern Suburbs last week, and welcomed Independent Member for the Electorate of Wentworth, Ms Allegra Spender MP. Ms Spender encouraged the young leaders to be authentic, values based leaders who call and empower others to make meaningful change.
As part of our PDHPE program and student wellbeing program, every Year 9 student participated in a short program of Ballroom Dancing under instruction from the Joan Carmody Dance Academy.
Along with students from St Clare’s College, our students participated in lessons in preparation for an evening of dance on Wednesday evening. I would like to congratulate our Year 9 cohort on their dress, manners and spirit to participate in such a positive way.
I received many comments of praise from parents and staff who witnessed the evening. Thank you to Mr Patrick Darvill for coordinating the evening and to the staff who assisted in supervising this great program.
Prefect Matthew Woods delivered an excellent speech at the College Assembly regarding Harmony Day, which the College will celebrate next week. Matthew unpacked the celebration that recognises our diversity and brings together Australians from all different cultural backgrounds.
View the video below that he used to support his impactful message.
Next Tuesday, all senior students and staff are invited to a lunchtime Picnic in the Centenary Quad. Students are asked to bring their favourite cultural foods to share with their friends or mentor groups. Some picnic blankets will be available and students may like to bring their own.
Prefect Jack Preller spoke at the College Assembly about the World Greatest Shave, and delivered the poignant message that 53 Aussies are diagnosed daily with blood cancer and 16 will lose their life.
He challenged us all to donate to the Leukaemia Foundation who support crucial research, and to screening programs that can change the lives of the 135,000 Australians living with Leukaemia today. The World’s Greatest Shave goal is zero lives lost to blood cancer by 2035, but they can only do it with your help.
At the end of the Term, the five top donors will have their heads shaved, so if you start fundraising, maybe you’ll make the cut. You can help by donating here
Congratulations to the 1sts Touch Football team who won the Independent schools grand final – defeating a previously unbeaten St Ignatius’ College, Riverview.
Payton Tarau, Cruz Clarkin, Joseph Vonwiller, Asher Thomasyu, Cooper Taylor, Sam Johnson (Captain), Louis Johns, Vidar Sundkvist, King Manu, Keeyan Abrahams, Lachlan Algie, Darcy Standfield, Riley Donohoe, Judah Miller – Coach – Mr Tom Steel.
The Volvo Ocean Lovers Festival taps into Australians’ love of their ocean lifestyle, with the largest dedicated ocean science and cultural celebration in Australia. Their accessible and interactive festival invites all-ages to dive into an informative and relaxed entertainment-rich environment, that harnesses the power of innovation, science, technology, art and entertainment, to accelerate positive change for our blue planet.
The schedule for this weekend can be found here: program
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
