Read more: Return of Summer co-curricular program, specific restrictions and protocols, congratulations Marco Arambasic (Class of 2020), capital works at Queens Park, online Pilates and Prehabilitation classes.
As indicated by Mr Leddie, in his Principal’s article, we will be commencing our Summer co-curricular program from next Monday, 1 November. There are a number of specific restrictions and protocols in place for staff, coaches and students that will need to be met to ensure we keep the College community as safe as possible.
The Years 7-11 program will run for four weeks from Monday, 1 November to Saturday, 27 November. We have had to make a number of significant modifications based on the restrictions to allow some activities to occur, as well as ensuring cohort separation as much as possible.
Unfortunately, we will not be offering any new Surf Lifesaving courses this season, however, those students already patrolling will continue this activity with Bondi SLSC.
We also will not be offering Sailing for those four weeks and those students have been placed in Yoga for Term 4, but will still be able to participate in this activity for the second half of the summer season in Term 1.
Water Polo will not have any fixtures this term and students will train with the swim squad within Year groups for the four weeks.
We have also arranged for some of the bigger sports like Basketball and Touch Football to train in their Year Groups for next week and will advise of any adjustments to the training schedule as we progress.
We will also have internal fixtures and trials on Saturday, 6 November and Saturday, 13 November. There is a good possibility that we may have some friendly CAS fixtures on both Saturday, 20 November and Saturday, 27 November, however, only fully vaccinated students over 16 years will be able to participate in inter-school fixtures. Students under 16 will not be required to show proof of vaccination but will be required to QR code on entry for any weekend fixtures.
Congratulations to Waverley College graduate, Marco Arambasic (Class of 2020), who has signed a professional Football contract with Belgian club side KV Mechelen. Marco was a member of the Waverley College 1st XI for two seasons as well as a CAS Representative. Marco plays striker and scored a number of great goals for Waverley during his time at the College. He also demonstrated a strong commitment to his school football where he was able to successfully balance his school and club demands. We wish Marco well and look forward to following his journey in professional football!
Marco Arambasic
As many of our community will have seen, there are significant capital works occurring at Queens Park with Centennial Park Trust building a cycling track along Darley Road. This will impact on parking and picking up of students at training and from trial fixtures.
There are also very limited and specific entry / exit points to the fields. It is recommended that students instead approach from the northern and eastern sides of the fields, and do not enter the work areas at any time.
These works are due to be completed for that part of the park over the next few weeks, however, parents and carers will still need to plan appropriately in terms of collecting students after training, as well as dropping off and picking up for any trial fixtures on the weekends please.
The focus of the next couple of weeks for training will certainly be about getting all students physically active again, as well as preparing for more vigorous movement. Basic skills, flexibility and mobility will be essential in preventing injury. The online Pilates and Prehabilitation classes will continue to be available to the whole community and posted on the Waverley app each week. We will also publish information at a later date regarding holiday training opportunities over the Christmas break.
The training schedule and internal trial fixtures are available on the Waverley College app and on the College website:
If any student is showing any flu-like symptoms, they must not attend training or fixtures until a negative COVID-19 test result is obtained. The College will endeavour to continue to implement its COVID-Safe Risk Assessment for all venues and activities.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
The Annual General Meeting for the Waverley College Cricket Supporters’ Club will be held on Thursday, 4 November at 6:30pm via videoconference.
We look forward to seeing you online!
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: exercises on Waverley App, Years 5-11 Cricket, athletics training program, weekly yoga, stretch and release, hip and knee rehab classes, Brenton Barker swims English Channel.
During extended lockdown, with many students and families struggling, it is vitally important we continue to maintain our wellbeing through physical activities, good diet and effective sleeping patterns.
Whilst the delay to the start of Term 4 will have an impact on normal co-curricular activities, the College will continue to provide opportunities for all community members to participate in a range of activities, as well as recommended exercises to maintain and improve fitness and skills. Many of these activities are posted on the Waverley App.
This week, all students who participate in Cricket in Years 5-11 were emailed a log in to the Sydney Sixers Training App which the College has purchased on their behalf. These drills and performance platforms cater to Cricketers of all levels, and have weekly recommendations from professional cricketers and coaches that can be done at home, as well as when we return to training and matches.
If any Waverley College Cricketer has yet to log in to this, please check your email. If there are any concerns or issues please email Mr Sean Picone at spicone@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Mr Jeremy Roff and our Track and Field coaches have also updated their Athletics training program and this has been posted in the Daily Notices and on the Waverley App. Mr Roff is also currently working on some specific recommended general exercises and these will be published shortly.
Mr Mark Mitchell and his team from Advanz Therapies will continue to publish their three weekly classes, and these can be viewed at any time after the live sessions. This week’s classes are listed below and for any student or parent who has had knee or hip injuries in the past, the Wednesday session is highly recommended:
I also want to highlight and congratulate College Old Boy Mr Brenton Barker who graduated from Waverley in the early 2000s. At the start of August, Brenton swam the English Channel to raise funds for seven-year-old Archer Pittorino who is suffering from Leukemia.
Brenton completed the 34km swim on 1 August in near freezing conditions. Brenton did attempt this swim in 2010 but was unsuccessful due to some significant tidal and weather events. The perseverance and ability to complete this historic swim for such a worthy cause is certainly a wonderful story.
Brenton raised over $50,000 and you can still contribute to the Go Fund Me page as part of his feat.
Hopefully Brenton’s amazing performance provides inspiration for all of our students and families to persevere through challenging times.
Thank you also to Mr Michael Renford for providing the updates and information, as Waverley College Old Boys have a long history of completing the swim including Michael himself, and Ned Weiland who also became the youngest ever to complete the Channel swim in 2017.
Waverley College Old Boy Brenton Barker
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
You don’t have to search for what’s on or stay up late – ClickView has put together TWO playlists that you can access via the College’s subscription to this video resource. Your son can access this by using his login credentials.
Look out for a great interview exclusive to ClickView for Australian students, with former Paralympian gold medalist Gerry Hewson. Gerry won Gold in 1996 for Wheelchair Basketball and has been a regular visitor to schools in NSW talking about his experience. ClickView Advisor, Hayden Lewis, will be asking Gerry some great questions that students will love hearing the answers to!
We’ll be adding heaps of broadcast events as they air on TV – make sure to check back here as the playlist is populated with new broadcasts!
Additional resources and ideas relevant to the topic will also be added.
Here’s where you can find the resources that come with videos:
Be inspired by these amazing athletes and stay safe.
Ms Sue Bognar
Senior Library Teacher Librarian
E: sbognar@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Winter Co-curricular Award winners, memorable highlights and special mentions.
This week we recognised all of our Winter Co-curricular Award winners in a diverse range of activities. All of these students from Years 5-12 have demonstrated the hard work, commitment and dedication to representing Waverley to a high standard.
There have been a number of memorable highlights including the 1st XI Football making the NSWCIS Independent Cup Final; Waverley hosting the Lawrence Campbell Oratory Competition; eleven members of the undefeated 1st XV being selected at a NSW representative level; the significant improvement in our Volleyball program; the continued efforts of Debating going online; the continued efforts of those students attaining their Duke of Edinburgh awards, as well as the roll out of our new co-curricular attire that displays the uniformity across all activities and sports. All of these award winners are to be congratulated.
I also want to make special mention and thank all of the parents who are members of the various supporters’ groups, as you are critical to the delivery of our programs and volunteer so much time to help. I also want to thank our Convenors, staff and coaches for all of their hard work, but mostly I want to thank the students, and in particular Year 12 for all of their efforts in co-curricular activities over their time at Waverley College.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: CAS Debating, Winter Co-curricular Awards Assembly, summer sport changes, Old Boy Ryan Abbott.
I encourage all students from Years 5-12 to keep participating in the recommended activities during this period that include Track and Field drills, recommended activities from Summer sports such as Cricket and Basketball, as well as the great wellbeing classes through the team at Advanz Health, that can be watched at any time.
The importance of maintaining physical activity during these challenging times is critical to physical, emotional and mental health. Many of the recommended activities for students are published on the Waverley App or are in the Daily Notices.
I want to thank and congratulate our Debating teams and staff who have continued to implement the CAS season online. Whilst this poses a number of challenges, we have still been able to produce some admirable performances against some strong opposition. We will have our final round next Friday 20 August against Cranbrook, and I want to wish all of those teams the very best for this week and next week.
Next week we will run our online Winter Co-curricular Awards Assembly for all activities for Years 5-12. We will publish the award winners in next week’s Nurrunga, and those students will be able to collect their awards once we have been able to assure production. It is most likely that we will notify students of their availability in Term 4.
This week we also concluded all of the requests for summer sport changes, and are now closing these applications. Students will be notified via email of the results of their requests. Pleasingly, we had a great uptake for Sailing, and we will notify those students regarding the implementation of this Olympic sport.
We were notified this week of the wonderful news that 2020 1st V Basketball captain Ryan Abbott was successful in finally obtaining a scholarship to NCAA Fresno Pacific College in California. We wish Ryan all the very best with his opportunities over in the USA, and hopefully we will get to see Ryan representing at the highest levels in years to come.
Ryan Abbott, 2019-20 Australian Schoolboys Basketball Player
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: Years 7-12 online meeting via Google Meet and registration information.
All students who would like to represent 1sts and 2nds Basketball for the upcoming season 2021-22, need to attend the online meeting for information regarding the pre-season and season moving forward.
If you have any questions, you may direct these to Mr Matthew Johnston at mjohnston@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Mr Matthew Johnston
Teacher Year 6 Red, Basketball Head Coach
E: mjohnston@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: view the Years 7-11 Waverley College Bronze Medallion Program Information Pack.
I’d like to take this opportunity to raise awareness of a summer sport choice unknown to many. Waverley College is one of a very few schools in Sydney that offer a Surf Life Saving program as a school sport. In 2021, the College is opening up the opportunity to all students in Years 7 -11, allowing students in Years 7 and 8 to participate.
and / or
If your son is interested, please ask him to email Mr Stephen Wilmot (Assistant Head of Co-curricular) as soon as possible at swilmot@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Mr Adam Wallington
Head of HSIE and Surf Life Saving Convenor
E: awallington@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Read more: learn how to join a Waverley team to help a vital charity whilst getting fit!
The Running for Premature Babies charity was founded by a Waverley parent, and Australian of the Year, Sophie Smith, after losing her prematurely born triplets in 2006. The charity provides life-saving neonatal equipment and research to give premature babies a better chance of survival.
The charity is holding their annual ‘Premmie Marathon Challenge’ this November and we encourage students, staff, parents, family members and Old Boys in our school community to get involved!
The challenge is to run (or walk) a 42km marathon or a 100km ultramarathon over the month of November. The ‘twist’ is that you can elect to complete your chosen distance either over a day, a week or over the whole month, making it very achievable to everyone! You can run anytime, anywhere – laps of your house, on a treadmill, at the local park or around your suburb.
Log the kms you run (or walk) to achieve your marathon goal within your set time frame. You can track your progress online through your personal fundraising page.
Why not have fun, get active during the COVID-19 lockdown, and achieve a fitness goal? It’s free to register and anyone who raises over $50 will receive a special finisher’s medal.
You will be helping to give critically ill and premature babies a better chance of survival.
OR
Simply click the purple JOIN US button sitting next to the social media buttons on the main banner at the top of the page.
Ms Gemma Brown (Assistant Head of Science) and Ms Sophie Smith (Founder and Managing Director of Running for Premature Babies Charity)
E: gbrown@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With the extension of lockdown for four more weeks, any students in Years 7-11 will need to complete any summer change of activity requests before Saturday 7 August please.
Touch Football and Basketball: As communicated in last week’s Nurrunga, there are a number of activities that have very limited spots including Touch Football and Basketball.
Mountain Biking and Diving: Unfortunately, Mountain Biking and Diving are full and are not available.
Weights and Fitness: For any senior students requesting Weights and Fitness, these requests will be dependent on coaching staff approving.
Sailing: We are also offering Sailing as a potential summer sport, however, there will be costs involved and this amount will be determined by the numbers of students interested in participating in this activity at Woollahra Sailing Club.
Cricket and Tennis: We also want to maintain the integrity of our traditional sports such as Cricket and Tennis and would not normally approve changes for players in As teams.
*Please also note that all Senior School Term 4 activities are labelled by their 2022 Year Groups (eg: Year 7 Cricket will be labelled as Year 8 Cricket).
*It is vital that students select 2nd and 3rd preferences, as well as understand that a request does not mean that approval will be given. We will assess all changes accordingly and notify those students who have made a request of their summer activities following the completion of the request period.
As we have now concluded the winter season and are technically in the Track and Field season, our Head Coach Mr Jeremy Roff, along with some of our fantastic Athletics coaching staff, have created a 4-week training program for all students. This schedule can be found below and also on the Waverley College App under Track and Field.
With the possibility of a carnival in early Term 4, we hope that all potential athletes keep working on their relevant disciplines and use the Olympics as inspiration to train hard following this recommended program.
Below you can watch a 1.5 minute video of Track and Field Remote Training with Mr Roff:
In early Term 4 we will also reschedule the winter co-curricular photos that were to be held last week. Once we have finalised the schedule we will communicate this to all students and families.
I also want to encourage all students to keep up the great work in trying the online wellbeing and pilates classes, as well as contributing to the House Points Challenge website.
Below are links to this week’s classes from the team at Advanz Therapies that can be watched at any time:
Best wishes to all of Year 12 with their preparations for Year 12 Trial HSC Examinations.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
With the extension of lockdown for four more weeks, any students in Years 7-11 will need to complete any summer change of activity requests before Friday 6 August please.
Touch Football and Basketball: As communicated in last week’s Nurrunga, there are a number of activities that have very limited spots including Touch Football and Basketball.
Mountain Biking and Diving: Unfortunately, Mountain Biking and Diving are full and are not available.
Weights and Fitness: For any senior students requesting Weights and Fitness, these requests will be dependent on coaching staff approving.
Sailing: We are also offering Sailing as a potential Summer sport, however, there will be costs involved and this amount will be determined by the numbers of students interested in participating in this activity at Woollahra Sailing Club.
Cricket and Tennis: We also want to maintain the integrity of our traditional sports such as Cricket and Tennis and would not normally approve changes for players in As teams.
*Please also note that all Senior School Term 4 activities are labelled by their 2022 Year Groups (eg: Year 7 Cricket will be labelled as Year 8 Cricket).
*It is vital that students select 2nd and 3rd preferences, as well as understand that a request does not mean that approval will be given. We will assess all changes accordingly and notify those students who have made a request of their summer activities following the completion of the request period.
Mark Mitchell and his team from Advanz Physiotherapies have created some great online Pilates and Wellbeing classes for this past week.
Mark and his team will be running online live classes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons from 2:30-3:30pm and these activities are geared not only for students, but for the whole College community, including extended families. This is also a great way for parents to do some healthy activities with their sons.
These classes can be watched at any time and will be published each week on the Waverley College App as well as in the daily notices.
This past week’s classes are:
Unfortunately we now have official word that the 2021 Winter season has been cancelled. Whilst this is disappointing for many students, it is fantastic that we got to complete as much of the season as possible. I want to thank all convenors, staff, coaches, parents and students for their efforts and support over the season.
In particular I want to thank all of the Year 12 students for their mighty efforts over their time at Waverley College and I hope you remember the camaraderie, shared experiences and positive contributions that you have made to keep our Co-curricular Program at a high standard.
The 2021 presentation evening will also have to be cancelled, however, we will recognise all award winners at an online assembly in Week 6. We will also continue to offer suggestions for Track and Field over the rest of term with the potential for a modified CAS carnival in Term 4. We will also postpone Winter Sports photos to the first week of Term 4 and will communicate that schedule closer to the date.
I understand that the current situation is not ideal, but I encourage all students and families to keep a positive growth mindset and use the current opportunities to learn some new skills, get fit and reconnect with immediate family. We would also really like to see some more videos of students doing their Olympic activities in PDHPE and Wellbeing lessons.
Best wishes for the week ahead!
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@waverley.nsw.edu.au
Welcome back to all students and families to the start of Term 3. Under the current restrictions we will not be re-commencing the last 3 weeks of the Winter co-curricular season from next week. Once we have further information provided by NSW Health and the Association of Independent Schools, we will communicate regarding a potential start date, and if there are any cancellations, adjustments or postponement of activities. We will also make a decision on presentation evenings and award assemblies over the next couple of weeks.
In the meantime it is essential that all students and their families maintain their physical health and wellbeing through a range of activities. As we did in 2020, we have a House Points Challenge website that has a wide range of activities that students and their families can participate in, that will also allow them to gain points for their Houses.
We will also be posting recommended activities from Mr Jeremy Roff each day in the daily notices where students can undertake appropriate exercises to improve fitness and skills. All students are encouraged to undertake at least 60 minutes of physical activity each day and this is absolutely essential whilst learning from home.
I also strongly recommend that all students get at least 8-9 hours of effective sleep every night as well as ensuring they are maintaining a healthy diet and hydrating throughout the day.
>>> Click here to view the House Points Challenge website
I am looking forward to seeing all of our students contribute to their Houses as well as undertake some important and fun activities.
At the end of Term 2 we also had our Years 5-12 House Athletics Carnival at ES Marks. It was a wonderful way to end the term and I want to thank all students, parents and in particular our wonderful staff for a great day. I also want to congratulate Mr Damian Thompson and Lacey House for taking out the 2021 House Athletics Shield.
Mr Steve O’Donnell
Director of Co-curricular
E: sodonnell@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.
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