Waratah Weekly - Term 2, Edition 7

Message from the Headmaster

Isn’t it great to be part of a community? In a close community, we know that we can rely on the support of our friends, family and colleagues, and we have the great privilege to also support others as well. This mindset of supporting and being supported is very important to us at Wollondilly Anglican College. Our WAC Kids Care Program is a great example of this. Students give up their time every week to prepare meals for families that appreciate some support from their local community. We feel called to serve in this way because God continues to bless us. 

I have been completing many enrolment interviews this past fortnight and frequently parents say they would like to be part of Wollondilly Anglican College because they have heard many positive messages from our parents. Thank you for sharing these messages with your friends and family as we continue to build a wonderful community together. 

Mr Trevor Norman
College Headmaster

Acting Deputy Headmaster

Foundation Day

On Friday, 11 June the College will celebrate Foundation Day. The focus of Foundation Day is to raise money that is donated to a range of Missions supported by the College. The following is important information about the day:

• All students are to wear  College Sports Tracksuit and House Shirts to the College on Foundation Day.
• Students are asked to make a $5.00 donation or $10.00 per family to support various Missions.
• Money will be collected during Roll Call time on Wednesday, 9 June, Thursday, 10 June and Friday, 11 June.
• The House group that raises the most money will be recognised as the Mission Fundraising Champion 2021.
• Please support this initiative in a generous manner.

Foundation Day is also an opportunity for a further House based challenge. This comes in the form of the College Athletics Relays. This is a fantastic opportunity for the T-12 College to come together and unite as one. Relays will take place in the afternoon session of the day, with the House that earns the most points from the Relays crowned Foundation Day Activities Champion. Parents/Carers are welcome to come along to watch these relays located on the WACA however we request that you sign in with the QR code located at the College office.

Below are some links to the chosen Missions supported by the College in 2021:

Years T-4 Samaritan's Purse 
https://samaritanspurse.org.au/

Years 5-8 African Aids Foundation
https://africanaidsfoundation.org.au/

Years 9-12 Hope Street Mission
https://hopestreet.org.au/

Mr Liam Toland
Acting Deputy Headmaster 

Teaching and Learning 7-12

College Internet Filtering

At the start of Term 2 the College upgraded its network to industry standard SSL inspection technology. This is used in many businesses and other schools with a BYOD program. This technology has allowed us to have improved capabilities with regard to visibility and monitoring of student internet traffic. As a College we value the importance of maintaining student safety while online and helping students to develop respectful relationships and appropriate use of technology.

As part of this updated filtering, particular Pastoral Care staff will receive alerts when a student attempts to access inappropriate or concerning content while on the College server (There is no filtering or monitoring when students are not on College site). The Pastoral Care team will action these alerts based on the content searched. This may be from a wellbeing perspective or for disciplinary action. Parents will be notified for serious breaches of the College ICT Policy. Parents and students are strongly encouraged to read and familiarise themselves with ICT policy which is found in the College diary on page 6.

As part of this process Mr Baulch will be undertaking further education with students in each year group around positive behaviour when using the internet. I have also reminded Secondary students at their weekly assembly around aspects of the College ICT policy.

We encourage all parents to carefully consider how to keep their children safe in an online environment. To filter and monitor your children's online activities at home, parents are encouraged to install suitable filtering and monitoring software. For more information about this please check out the Cyber Safety information on the ‘MyTech’ website. https://mytech.wac.nsw.edu.au/cybersafety.php.

Year 11 2022 Subject Selection Evening - Tuesday, 8 June 7.00 pm

This is a reminder that the Subject Selection Evening for Year 11 2022 will be held on Tuesday, 8 June in the Warne Auditorium. At least one parent/carer is to accompany their child on the evening. Important information about Stage 6 requirements and the process for subject selections as students move into Year 11 will be discussed. There will also be an opportunity to hear from Dr Bearlin the College Careers Adviser. 

Mr Paul Burns
Director of Teaching and Learning 7-12

Pastoral Care T-12

Helping Girls to Stand Tall

Helping girls manage conflict is complex. Unlike conflict between boys which is loud, boisterous, and over as quickly as it began, most conflict between girls lingers on, taking up unwanted mind space and harming their mental health. “She’s so mean to me. I hate her,” is the type of statement that many parents have heard their daughters utter.  

How to help

Parents can help their daughters develop the skills and behaviours needed to effectively resolve conflict and manage difficult feelings. Sibling and parent-child disagreements are fruitful grounds for girls to learn how to better manage themselves and others during disputes. Here are several conflict resolution strategies girls can use:

Teach I-statements

Learning to use these statements empowers girls to take responsibility for communicating how they feel. I-statements help your daughter to express her feelings appropriately without being aggressive or intimidating.

The script for I-statements is:

When you……………… I feel/felt………………because………………I would like ………………

eg When you went to the movies with her, I felt angry because I was left out of the group. I would like you to let me know next time, instead of keeping it a secret.

Encourage strong body language

A girl’s non-verbals, including tone of voice, posture, eye contact and head positioning influences how much others take notice of her. A strong “This is what I want” verbal message delivered in a whiny, high-pitched voice or muttered with the head down indicates that a girl doesn’t intend to be taken seriously. The same statement issued with strong body language and a firm voice helps her be taken seriously by others. Her message is only as strong as the body language that supports it.  

Speak with intent

Girls of all ages have a tendency to pepper their conversations with qualifiers such as, “I think…”, “This may not be right, but…”,” This might sound crazy….”, “I know it is not my turn, but I was thinking that, like, …” and so on. Qualifiers dilute the power of a girl’s words, indicating uncertainty, lack of confidence and demonstrating a need for validation that undermines her authority.

If your daughter continually speaks with qualifiers, respectfully make her aware of this propensity. “You don’t sound convincing. What exactly do you want?” 

Most of us resolve conflict in ways that we learned at home in our families. Help your daughter develop effective patterns she can use to resolve conflict amicably, respectfully, and effectively so she can stand tall and feel confident in her own skin.

(Michael Grose - https://www.parentingideas.com.au/)

Parenting Workshops 

Wollondilly Shire Council is offering the following free parent/carer workshops. 

Mrs Lisa Maher
Acting Director of Pastoral Care T-12

Pastoral Matters - Senior Years 9-12

Year 10 Peer Support

Last year the Year 9 cohort had the opportunity to nominate themselves to be involved in the Peer Support program. Students were then selected and underwent training in preparation for running the program this year with the students in Year 7.

The program encourages the student leaders (now in Year 10) to emphasise their character strengths and leadership qualities as well as working on their communication skills and strategies for dealing with group activities. I am pleased to say that the program is now in full swing with the Year 7 students who are enjoying the opportunity to participate in a number of activities which are targeted at helping them build their own strengths and deal with the changes and change that the Secondary years bring. The program is titled Rethinking Challenges and its core focus areas for the sessions include:

• Building resilience
• Positive perspectives
• The way we think
• Wellbeing
• Skillsets and strategies
• Building positive relationships

The program will run to the end of this Term and involves 36 Year 10 students and all of Year 7.

Mr Tim van Netten
Acting Pastoral Care Coordinator 9-12

Performing Arts News T-12

Rehearsal Times

There have been some minor changes to our weekly ensemble rehearsal schedule this Term. Please consult the table for your child's rehearsal time. It is important that students regularly attend rehearsal as this allows our ensembles to prepare for performance events. 

From time to time we hear from students that they would like to be involved in an ensemble, but that they 'missed out' as they didn't attend in Term 1. This is not the case. Students can attend rehearsals for any ensemble they wish to join and discuss how they might be involved with the ensemble leader. We are proud of the performance opportunities available for our students, and encourage participation!

College Choir

Our College Choir is working with our new vocal tutor, Alison Robertson. Alison has a wealth of experience in working with choir ensembles, we are blessed to have her on staff. Please note that this change of staffing has necessitated a change of rehearsal times. The ensemble now rehearse on Mondays at lunchtime in Elizabeth 3.

Mrs Sarah Talbot
Performing Arts Coordinator T-12

College Working Bee

Term 2 - Saturday, 5 June 2021

Our Term 2 Working Bee for 2021 will be held on Saturday, 5 June between 8.00 am and 1.00 pm. We would love to have you join us here at the College. We should be safe to be working together as long as we observe personal hygiene and social distancing.

If you are unwell, please do not risk sharing your cold or illness with the College community, instead stay home and get well.

There will be a sign-in sheet on the table outside Student Reception along with a QR Code for you all to scan with your phones.

For those of you who are new to our College, attending a Working Bee is a good way to be a part of the greater College community, meeting and working side-by-side while having some great fellowship with other parents and students. It also helps to get some of the things done around the place which we don’t normally have the time for. Some of these jobs are:

• Due to the great blessing of good rain recently, all of our gardens need weeding.
• We have a huge amount of mulch and a tractor to load our utes which can then be added to the gardens and raked out. If you would like some mulch for your own garden, the tractor will already be up at the WACA mulch pile to load you up before you go home.
• The College carpark gutters can be swept to rid them of leaves which can then be put on the gardens as compost.
• A great job for the kids is the picking up of rubbish around the College
• There are lots of Library books to cover in the Deakin 2 & 3 classrooms near Student Reception.

Between now and then there could be more jobs found that need attending to so don’t forget to bring your gardening tools, gloves and anything else you think might help on the day. We always have a great time at our Working Bees so come along and be a part of the action to help keep our College looking great.

Due to health and contamination concerns at this time, Morning Tea will be provided but in personal packaging by the College. The BBQ lunch will still be provided by the P&F by means of a sausage sizzle with extra caution in regards to hygiene.

Mr Fred Schroder
Property Manager

iSTEM Excursion

On Monday, 31 May all of Year 10 iSTEM students and a few of the Year 9 iSTEM students went down to Mittagong RSL Club to compete in the Science and Engineering Challenge day.

Students were required to use their Science, Maths, Engineering and Technology skills to perform a variety of challenges. Challenges included: bridge building, making and flying a hovercraft, building a robotic hand, making a water wheel, coding and radio challenges, and finally building the tallest and strongest tower made from selected materials.

The students had a great day and were able to implement some of the skills they had learnt in class into the challenges. Wollondilly Anglican College ended up finishing in 6th place, the students winning a few of the individual challenges. Each challenge was worth points which contributed to the overall point score.

Mrs Kelly Evans
TAS Coordinator

Seconday Sport

NSW Swimming Champion

A huge congratulations goes to Denise Grabe (Year 7), who was crowned the NSW U/12 Girls 50m and 100m Freestyle Champion. Along with the two Gold medals she also claimed Bronze in the 50m Backstroke. This culminates a very successful School Swimming season for Denise who has been Age Champion multiple times and broke numerous records through each of the pathway levels in 2021. We look forward to her continued achievements in the years to come.  

MISA Round 6

This week we had multiple great performances in MISA. The Girls' Basketball side won their Semi Final match and remain undefeated for the season leading into next week’s Grand Final. It was a nervous start with the scores level at halftime, however, the Girls' team dug deep for a 10 point win with Emma Windred the most improved. The Boys' Soccer team have started to find some good form notching up a strong 2-0 win against Oran Park Anglican.

In Soccer the Girls' side had a convincing 6-0 win thanks to some awesome goalkeeping by Georgie Butcher. The team played well together and were strengthened in attack by Kamryn Reid who was on fire with 3 goals. The Boys' Hockey side showed much improved effort in their 3-0 win over Oran Park Anglican with goals going to Hemi-George McDonald and Nathan Jones.

The Girls' Netball side were assisted by some strong play from Charli Sprague and Paris Obakpolo. After leading the entire match, the win, unfortunately, slipped away in the final moments of the game. It was also a narrow loss for the Ultimate Frisbee team. Despite it being their first loss for the season it was a great match by Charley Duffey and James Parry who clawed back an 8 point deficit after a slow start to make the final score 9-11. The Girls' Cricket side also had a loss this week despite a strong batting partnership from Rebekah Jacobs and Charli Day. The Boys' Softball side had a low scoring 1-1 draw in their match.

AICES Cross Country

On Wednesday, 2 June 20 WAC students represented NASSA at the AICES Cross Country Championships, held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre. It was a glorious day with no wind and becoming quite warm for the runners. All students conducted themselves extremely well, putting in tremendous efforts. Many gained a personal best, some bettered positions from previous AICES championships and others enjoyed the challenge of their first AICES meet. A special mention goes to Benjamin Napier who had a strong and dominant performance to win the U/16 Boys' event. Congratulations also goes to Emma Ciscato who placed 10^th, also earning a spot to attend the CIS Championships next Thursday. There were a number of students who came close to qualification: Sophia Whishaw (11^th U/15 Girls); Madison Eddie (12^th U/12 Girls); Isabelle Robertson (14^th U/18 Girls) and Joshua Summerson (14^th U/16 Boys). Well done to all WAC Cross Country runners.

NASSA Years 10-12 Volleyball Gala Day

On Friday, 28 May Ms Atkins and Mr van Netten coached our Senior Volleyball sides at the NASSA Gala Day. The Girls' side had a strong start to the day, placing 1st in their Pool. Unfortunately a loss in the Semi Finals saw them in the 3rd place play-off against Macarthur Anglican which they won. The Boys' side started their day with a strong win over Georges River Grammar and developed their game play with each match. After placing 3rd in their Pool they made the 5th place play-off which they also won. 

Mr Mark Goldsbrough 
Secondary Sports Coordinator 

Primary Sport

IPSSO

The Junior Boys' Soccer team overcame St Peter’s Anglican Primary School in a 2-0 nil victory. The Senior Boys' team managed to attain a pleasing 4-0 success. Mr Wayne is very pleased with the strong position they have managed to achieve on the IPSSO ladder. At present, the Senior Boys' side sits at 2nd. 

The Newcombe Ball and Volleyball teams both went down to 2 sets to nil losses. Mrs Fredericks hasn’t given up hope of a mid-season momentum swing that would see more victories come Wollondilly’s way.

It was a brace of victories for WAC’s AFL sides. The Junior team comfortably winning 21-9, while the Senior team continue to steadily grow in confidence, barnstorming St Peter’s Anglican 63-14. 

Caretaker coach Miss Dewey continues to bring magic to the court, steering both teams to insurmountable success. The Juniors winning 11-5 and the Seniors succeeded in a scoring bonanza, triumphing 43-2.   

Next week’s game is away against Mount Annan Christian School. Volleyball, Netball and Soccer will be played at MACC campus, while AFL will be at Elizabeth Reserve. 

Years 3-6 Athletics Carnival

The 3-6 Primary Athletics Carnival will be held at the College on Friday, 18 June. The first event will be the 800 m race. This race will start at 8.00 am. Students who want to compete in this race will need to indicate this on the permission note when it is issued next week. The rest of the Carnival will start at 8.10 am. All students will have an opportunity to compete in shot put, high jump, long jump, 100 m and 200 m races. Qualification rounds for discus will be held in the lead up to the Carnival.

CIS Touch Football Trial

All the best to our NASSA representatives; Isabella and Kiah Evans, Max McPherson and Toby Peacock at Friday’s CIS Touch Football trial. You have already made your College proud!

Mr James Gooden
Primary Sports Coordinator 

From the College Nurse

Get Asthma Ready for Winter

It is that time of year with winter upon us and temperatures dropping that can be a difficult time for children with Asthma. Now is a good time to have an Asthma review with your GP and have your child's Asthma Action Plan reviewed. Having a clear plan for your child in the coldest months can help prevent potentially avoidable flare ups. 

For helpful information in relation to being Asthma ready this winter please refer to the latest information from Asthma Australia below. 

Mrs Sally Lloyd 
College Nurse

Application for Enrolment

Applications continue to pour in for 2021 and beyond, across all Year Groups, but especially our entry years of Transition, Kindergarten, Year 5, Year 7 and Year 11.

All current College families looking to enrol siblings for the coming years are encouraged to do so without delay to avoid disappointment. 

Enrolment packs are available from the College Office or from the College website www.wac.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Kristy Biddle
Enrolments Officer
Enrolments Contact Number: 4684 2722

Save the Date

Equestrian

P&F Association

Next Meeting:

Monthly Meeting
Wednesday, 4 August - 7.00 pm Deakin Administration Building

Save the date for the Country Fair: Saturday, 11 September 2021

The Country Fair is happening for 2021!

We are happy to say that we are already planning for our Country Fair for 2021. This year will be a little different to others, however, we are still planning for it to be amazing with Stall Holders, Food Vendors, Amusement Rides, Wood Chopping, Pony & Camel Rides, Petting Farm, Climbing Apparatus and much, much more.

The annual Photo Competition will be going ahead so the approaching holidays will be a perfect time to get some happy snaps of different themes like animals, landscapes and people.

Photo Competition themes will be announced next Term, watch this space.

The Cake Competition is also going ahead. Again watch this space for more details.

Toy Brick Display at Country Fair - Volunteers Required

We are looking at having a Toy Brick display (including Lego, Megablocks, Nanoblocks) at the Country Fair. For this to run we are seeking volunteers to coordinate entries and supervise on the day. Please contact Leah Frost on 0413 942 243 or pandfvolunteer@wac.nsw.edu.au

Volunteers Required for Country Fair

To help with the running of the Country Fair we are also seeking Parent/Carer involvement for volunteers. Once again if you are interested in helping out, please give Leah Frost a call on 0413 942 243 or pandfvolunteer@wac.nsw.edu.au

Seeking Sponsorship for the Country Fair

This year our Silent Auction will be running again. We are seeking donations of goods or services for our silent auction. If you have a business or know of anyone who might be able to assist please contact Mrs Deirdre Fitzsimmons for sponsorship packages and information.

This year our Country Fair is requiring sponsorship of these events:

• Camel Rides
• Pony Rides
• Woodchopping
• Animal Farm
• Prizes for Cake Competition & Photo Competition.

Please support the businesses that support our College.

Church Services

• Grace Anglican Church at Harrington Park - 9.30 am at Harrington Park Public School
• Wollondilly Presbyterian (Tahmoor) - 9.15 am service + links via FB page to recorded service
• Wollondilly Uniting Church - 110 Thirlmere Way, Tahmoor - 9.15 am Sunday. Kids Church
  program. All welcome. https://picton.uca.org.au/about-us/im-new/
• Wilton Anglican Church - 9.30 am at St Mark's, Picton at 5.00 pm. https://pwac.org.au
• Narellan Anglican Church meets at 9.00 am, 10.30 am and 5.00 pm every Sunday, with full
  children’s programs available at 10.30 am.
• Wollondilly Anglican Church service meeting at St Stephen's, Thirlmere - Sunday at 9.00 am and 10.30 am. Sunday School offered at both services.
• St Jude's Anglican Church Bowral are as follows:
  • 8.00 am Traditional Service of Holy Communion in the old church building
  • 9.30 am Traditional Service of Morning Prayer alternating with Holy Communion in the old church building
  • 9.30 am Contemporary Service in the Auditorium
  • 5.30 pm Auditorium Church Service - aimed at teenagers and young adults but open to all Online services can be found here: https://bowralanglican.org.au/online
• St Marks Anglican Church Picton Services - Sunday 9.30 am
• Campbelltown Christian Community Church (C4) - Sunday at 10.00 am (also online)
• Mittagong Anglican Church - Cnr Main St & Church Ln, Mittagong
  • 8.00 am Traditional 9.30 am Contemporary with Kids & Youth programs
  • 11.15 am Traditional 5.00 pm Contemporary: young adults and beyond www.mittang.com.au office@mittang.com.au Find us on Facebook or Instagram

Community

WAC Kids Care

From time to time, families undergo trauma such as severe or terminal illness. There are short term support structures in place at the College to assist families during these times. The WAC Kids Care Program offers support to families in the way of meals. Please contact Mrs Hay or Mrs Rockwell at the College. Confidentiality will be respected. The College is accepting food donations towards the WAC Kids Care Meals Ministry.

• The Wollondilly Redbacks Junior AFL U/14s team is looking for more players
  • When: Wednesday Nights from 5.30 pm to 6.30 pm at Hanaford Oval, Wilton     
  • Ages : 12, 13 or 14 years - Please contact Clinton on 0467 001 002
    
• It takes a Village (Parent and Carers Information Sessions)
  • When: Monday, 7 June
  • Venue: Wollondilly Shire Council, Administration Building - 62-64 Menangle Street, Picton
  • Time: 6.00 pm - 7.30 pm
  • Please email council@wollondilly.nsw.gov.au for more details. Bookings are essential. 
• Mittagong Junior Disco
  • Where: Mittagong RSL
  • When: Saturday, 26 June
  • Time: 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
  • Cost: $5.00 per person
  • For more information, please contact 0412 321 555

• Getting Korina Back on the road Trivia Night
  • When: Friday, 13 August
  • Time: 6.30 pm doors open
  • Cost: $60.00 per ticket

Two course buffet dinner served at 7.00 pm. Please contact Mittagong RSL on 4872 6700.

Pretend Headmaster

Pretend Headmasters - Jordyn Flaxman (KF) and Hallie Casey (KF) are enjoying each others company on "The Blue Chair" whilst seeking comfort in knowing there is always a friend at WAC.