Waratah Weekly - Term 1, Edition 5 - Friday, 1 March 2024

College App

The Wollondilly Anglican College App is an important and useful platform for getting live up-to-date push notifications.

Attached is a guide outlining available functions on the App and some answers to some Frequently Asked Questions with technical support details.

The College App is great for those more at at-a-glance push notifications, providing permissions for events and verifying student absences. 

Our Edumate software (only accessible on a laptop or desktop) has all the features of the WAC App plus additional ones such as updating personal details for yourself and/or your children (medical needs, swimming ability and address details to name a few)

Mr Paul Burns
Deputy Headmaster

Care & Culture - Uniform, House Points & Resilience

It has been a really encouraging start to the College year. Students have come back to College and resumed routines well which has been great to see. In terms of uniform, most students are wearing their uniform well which is important in maintaining the high standards that are part of our College culture. In a couple of areas, I am writing to reinforce the need for students to adhere to the College uniform guidelines and for parent support in the follow-up conducted by staff and the Care and Culture Team.

1. College Sports Shorts just above the knee in length
2. College Sports Socks
3. College Sports Caps
4. One small plain gold/silver stud or sleeper in each earlobe only
5. House Shirt on House Days and Carnivals

It is essential that students wear all aspects of the uniform in line with the guidelines and meet their responsibilities by following them.

Overall House Shield Pointscore
The Overall House Shield recognises the contributions from all students at the College in belonging to their House Group. It caters for the range of abilities students have and allows them to contribute in areas of strength, not just in a sporting context. The House Shield total is derived from Carnival Points, the Award System, Community Service and Fundraising activities and involvement in College life. Below is the current point score just based on the Award System.

1. Sollya 174
2. Acacia 161
3. Wollemi 151
4. Grevillea 141
5. Telopea 132

Some upcoming opportunities to score points for your House include attendance and participation in the College Prayer Breakfast and Working Bee. Along with a Community Service Merit students will be issued House Points for attendance at either event.

Learner Disposition
The Learner Disposition focus for Term 1 at the College is Resilience. All students from K-12 will complete a self-assessment of Resilience as part of affirming their strengths in this disposition and identifying areas of growth. This will be adapted for younger students but the questions most will assess themselves on are:

• Perseverance - I stick with my learning even when things are hard
• Managing Distractions - I can manage distractions and stay focused on my learning
• Making Mistakes - I am ok with making mistakes in my learning
• Goals - I set goals for my learning
• Challenge - I enjoy challenging activities in my learning

Parents are encouraged to support the development of resilience in their children and model this to them.

Mr Liam Toland
Director of Care & Culture T-12

Secondary News

Years 7-10 Parent-Teacher Partnerships
Thank you to the parents and students who came along to the Year 7-10 Parent-Teacher Partnership Evening this week. It was a great opportunity for teachers, parents and students to conduct this three-way conversation about what they will be doing in their various courses this year, and how parents can help support their child in their learning. Thank you also to the staff who gave up their afternoon and evening to facilitate these important conversations

Year 11 Information Evening
The Year 11 Information Evening is coming up on Wednesday, 20 March. At this evening, parents and students will hear about important information that will help ensure their success as they begin their Stage 6 journey. The Information Evening will be held at the College. Students should attend in their College uniform.

NAPLAN – Year 7 and Year 9
Students will complete a NAPLAN practice test during Week 6 in preparation for their upcoming State-wide event. Students will need to make sure that their device is fully charged, that they have downloaded the NAPLAN lockdown browser from the College MyTech Cloud and have their own headphones that are not wireless.

Year 11 and Year 12 Parent-Teacher Interviews
Our Stage 6 students, parents and teachers will have an opportunity to discuss their learning and progress on Wednesday, 20 March. Parents and caregivers will be sent out a link to make a booking with various teachers. Students are encouraged to attend this evening and should wear their College uniform.

Mrs Kelly Evans
Director of Teaching & Learning 7-12

K-6 Parent-Teacher Interviews

We are looking forward to meeting parents/carers at our K-6 Parent-Teacher Interviews to be held face-to-face at the College on:

Tuesday, 5 March from 3.00 pm to 5.00 pm

Thursday, 7 March from 3.00 pm to 8.00 pm 

Details for how to book these interviews have been emailed to families last week.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at g.lacey@wac.nsw.edu.au or on 02 4623 0230.

Mrs Gabrielle Lacey
Executive Assistant

Staying Allergy Aware

We are seeking your help to support the students in our College with severe allergies.

Anaphylaxis is a severe allergic reaction that is potentially life-threatening. The most common causes of anaphylaxis in schools are allergies to food and insects. To help manage allergies, our College is following the National Allergy Council’s Best Practice Guidelines for Anaphylaxis Prevention and Management in Schools.

The Best Practice Guidelines recommend an Allergy Aware approach, which means we are supporting students at risk of anaphylaxis in the following ways:

• Training staff
• Educating students about allergies and anaphylaxis
• Teaching students that we all have different needs and to be respectful of others
• Teaching students the importance of getting help immediately if their friend with an allergy looks sick

For food allergies, we are also:

• Teaching students not to share food or drinks with friends
• Encouraging students with food allergies to wash their hands before and after eating
• Encouraging students to wash their hands after eating something their classmate or friend is allergic to

Food allergies are common in school-aged children and avoiding the food is the only way to prevent an allergic reaction. Therefore, we have put a range of different things in place to help keep these students safe.

The College discourages students from bringing in nut or nut-based products which may include Peanut Butter or Nutella.

We ask you to support the College’s Allergy Aware approach so that we can increase safety and provide an environment that meets the needs of all our students.

Thank you for helping our College be “Allergy Aware”.

Mrs Emma Tall
College Nurse

College Musical Tickets

Tickets for this year's College Musical - Sherlock Holmes & The Mystery of the Crown Jewel will go on sale Friday, 8 March 2024

Stay tuned for details to come

Mr Lloyd Grant
Performing Arts Coordinator T-12/Music Teacher

‘MyTech’ Loan Devices

There may be times when a student’s device is damaged, not functioning properly or is reaching a point of obsolescence. To ensure that students do not miss out on important learning opportunities, the College has a limited number of Loan Devices that students may borrow. For a student to borrow a Loan Device, they will need to fill out a ‘MyTech’ Student Loan Agreement.

A handwritten note from a parent is not sufficient as it is important that you are aware of the terms of the loan before we loan out a device. 

This agreement can be picked up from Student Reception or downloaded from the ‘MyTech’ website http://mytech.wac.nsw.edu.au/devices.php and needs to be signed by both the parent and student. This agreement then needs to be presented at Student Reception where, if available, a device will be loaned for a period of two weeks. This program has been a great help to many students and it is vital that students take proper care of the devices so that they can be used by other students after them. This means that if a device is damaged while in a student’s possession, they will be required to pay for the cost of repairs. Once a student’s device has been repaired, the Loan Device needs to be promptly returned to Student Reception.

If you have any further questions about this or any other ‘MyTech’ issue please do not hesitate to send these to mytech@wac.nsw.edu.au

Mr Craig Russell
Secondary Learning Innovations Coordinator

Careers Spotlight - Animal Care

This year, we are excited to announce that we have had two successful students accepted into a Certificate II in Animal Care. These students will undertake their course through Campbelltown TAFE. Below, these two ladies have reflected on (1) Why they applied for this course, (2) What they are hoping to get out of the course and (3) Plans for the future in this field. 

Zara Miller

1. I chose this course because I would like to know more about animals and I would like to work with animals in the future.
2. I am hoping to pass the course and know more about how to properly care for animals and make sure that others are caring for animals correctly and that they are treated fairly and with respect. 
3. I am hoping that I will be working with animals in the future but I’m not sure what this will look like at the moment.

Jayde Richter

1. I chose to do this course because I would love to know more about animal care as a whole and I am hoping to continue the whole course through, then further progress to the Cert IV Veterinary Nursing 
2. I am hoping to get the experience and I'm looking forward to all the practicals and handling of different sorts of animals
3. I am hoping to pursue a career in Veterinary Nursing

Mr Tim van Netten
Leader of Care & Culture - Stage 6/Careers Adviser/Secondary English Teacher

Term 1 Family Chapel

Our first Family Chapel of the year will be for Kindergarten to Year 6. Since we are concentrating on the Primary Years, the evening will begin at 6.00 pm on Tuesday, 26 March under the Shoulder to Shoulder Shelter. 

To make life easier for our families, a sausage sandwich will be available at the BBQ area free of charge from 5.30 pm, however, these must be pre-ordered through the Trybooking link below.

https://www.trybooking.com/CPQRW

We will hear a talk about Jesus. In addition, we will have the opportunity to listen to the Primary Choir, sing a song of praise together, and hear prayers for our community.

Finally, donations of gold coins or non-perishable food items will be accepted at the rear of the Shelter area. These will be used by the WAC Kids Care team to prepare nourishing meals for those in our community who are struggling with illness or hardship. House Points will also be given which will go towards the House Shield.

We look forward to seeing you there.

Mr Matthew Roberts
College Chaplain

College Working Bee

I am writing on behalf of the College Prefects to encourage students and parents to join the staff and the College Student Leaders at the Term 1 Working Bee. This event will take place on Saturday, 16 March from 8.00 am - 1.00 pm. This year the organisation of the Working Bee will be in Zones based on House Groups. There will be an opportunity to all come together at 10.30 am for morning tea and light refreshments will be served. 

As students of the College, we would like to promote this as an opportunity for service and community building. Your contributions can make a real and positive impact on the lives of others and your environment. Serving others helps you develop personally, by serving, you can inspire and motivate others to get involved and contribute positively. The Student Leaders at the College want to set an example in this area and would like to see as many students, staff and parents attend this event. It would be greatly appreciated if you could spare an hour of your day to serve at this event. All students who attend will be issued with a Community Service Merit. This year we will be adding additional House Points to the House of students, staff and parents that attend, these will accrue to the Overall House Shield. 

The College has reduced the number of Working Bees from four per year to two per year. With this in mind, it would be great to see our community prioritise the opportunities to build community and serve.

If you can't make this one the second one will be held on Saturday, 31 August, please add this to your calendar.

Please note, we only have a limited supply of tools and equipment, therefore it is important that you bring your own gardening tools, blowers, gloves and anything else you think might help on the day. Mr Warland, the College Property Manager will be onsite to assist students and parents if you have questions.

Eve Jones
College Community Service Prefect

From the College Chaplain

The College Learner Disposition focus for Term 1 is Resilience. This is a habit that we are working on developing and cultivating in our students, learning, character and also in their faith. Enduring and persevering with challenges in learning, character and faith all support these areas of growth.

What comes to mind when you think about the phrase 'sacrificial love'? Jesus in Mark 12:38-44 draws a contrast between the religious authorities and an elderly widow. The religious authorities use their power, authority and status to promote their own selfish agendas. They're more interested in how they look in front of other people than actually caring for others. Jesus condemns their attitude, however, he affirms an elderly widow. She financially contributes all that she has to God, two small copper coins, worth around $2. She doesn't have much, but what she does have, she generously gives to God. This widow is at the very bottom of the pecking order regarding status; she's at the other end of the status scale compared to the religious authorities. Yet, Jesus affirms her as setting an example for His followers to follow. Why? I think because she demonstrates sacrificial love of God; a love that is costly to her because she values God as the most important thing. 

I think that through this story Jesus emphasises that the intentions of our heart behind our behaviour matters to God. God desires that we be people whose behaviour is motivated by a desire to honour Him, and one of the ways that this can be seen is through how we interact with one another. I challenge all of us to consider what the motivation behind our behaviour is. To promote ourselves as the most important thing or to faithfully serve a loving God who has been overwhelmingly generous to us. I think the widow in Mark 12 falls into the second category, what about you?

Mr Matthew Roberts
College Chaplain

Term 1 Prayer Breakfast Invitation

Amongst the business of Term 1, I'd like to extend an opportunity for you to join us as we stop, pause and bring the things on our hearts and minds to God in prayer.

Our Term 1 Prayer Breakfast will be kicking off on Saturday, 16 March. All are welcome to join us from 8.00 am - 8.30 am for pastries and fruit before we join together in prayer from 8.30 am - 9.00 am. 

I completely understand the busy schedule all of us have on the weekends. There are many competing factors and commitments. Saturday is normally full of community sporting events along with various other activities. However, in this business, taking the time to stop and pause with our great God is incredibly beneficial.

I'd love to see you there!

If you're able to make it, please RSVP to m.roberts@wac.nsw.edu.au by Monday, 4 March.

 “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10)

Mr Matt Roberts
College Chaplain

Transition 2025 Enrolments

As the new year has begun, we are already starting to look at the applications for our 2025 Transition cohort. Any siblings should already have their applications in by now, but if you haven’t, please get them in immediately.

If you know anyone who is looking at enrolling their child for Transition in 2025, please encourage them to get their applications in as soon as possible.

Mrs Madilyn Shelley
Enrolments Officer

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2024

Premier’s Reading Challenge 2024 started Monday, 24 February
In the next few weeks, students in Years 3-9 will receive their Premier’s Reading Challenge logins. The logins stay the same from year to year, however we do remind the students of their login details every year. If your child has just started at the College from another school, they will receive a new login. For this reason, Year 7 students have been signing up for the PRC this week.

The Premier’s Reading Challenge is a way to be rewarded for your leisure reading, is a great addition to your resume and encourages wide reading. There is clear evidence that reading for pleasure benefits both educational attainment, personal development and wellbeing. (Research evidence on reading for pleasure, 2012)

Please note, completing the PRC from Year 3 to Year 9, every year, qualifies the students for the PRC Medal. Or, students in Year 10 are eligible for a medal for completing the Challenge seven times between Year 3 and Year 10. (Students will only receive a medal once - either in Year 9 or Year 10.)

K-2 Premier’s Reading Challenge
If parents would like their child to complete the PRC, you can add books that you read at home to your child’s online record. Please email j.colombo@wac.nsw.edu.au and I will provide your child’s login details and instructions on how to do that. K-2 can either read or be read to for the PRC. Any questions please let me know.

For all the PRC rules and regulations please visit the Rules Page. 

Students can add their books via the PRC Student Site.

Any questions about the Premier’s Reading Challenge please contact j.colombo@wac.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Justine Colombo
College Librarian

Lowes 20% Off Sale

P&F Clothing Pool

The Clothing Pool offers a selection of pre-loved uniform items from Transition to Year 12 at very reasonable prices. We also stock new ties and socks for purchase. The Clothing Pool relies on donations of uniforms and needs volunteers to keep the Clothing Pool open. Donations can be left at the Clothing Pool during opening hours or at Student Reception at other times.

If you would like to join our happy volunteers, please contact the Clothing Pool via the email below or pop into the Clothing Pool for a chat while we are open. We are currently seeking another volunteer for Thursday mornings, so if you can spare an hour in the morning, please make contact. It is an easy way to help out and to be a valuable part of the College community!

Payment: Card Only (no cash)
Location: White Cottage through the side windows
Monday to Friday 7.45 am to 8.30 am
Phone: 4623 0286
Email: clothingpool@wac.nsw.edu.au

Mrs Melissa Whishaw
P&F Clothing Pool Coordinator

College Sponsors

Community News

Wollondilly Junior AFC

Are you looking for a tight-knit community of like-minded, fun-seeking competitive people?

Look no further than Wollondilly Junior AFC.

We are the only AFL Club in Wollondilly. We’re a family-oriented club with a focus on sportsmanship, community and having fun!

We've been a place of fun and competition in the community since 1982.

We cater to all kids aged 5-17 with all abilities from beginners to advanced. We have boys, girls and mixed teams.

Get fit, have fun and make friends!

For more information visit www.WJAFC.com.au or email info@wjafc.com.au.

Inspire Physie & Dance

Inspire Physie & Dance is a new APDA (Australian Physie & Dance) club in the Wollondilly Shire. All new people are welcome to come and have two free trial lessons. See the schedule below.

Bargo Bunnies Junior RLFC

✨2024 Registration Days✨

Join us for the 2024 season by registering your child to play with the Bargo Bunnies JRLC

Returning members are encouraged to re-register online.

Where: Bargo Sportsgrounds - Dressing Sheds - 96 Radnor Road, Bargo.

It’s our 10 Year Anniversary and it’s going to be a big one! We have a special edition jersey and are organising anniversary celebrations.

✔️We are fielding teams from u/6 to u/12 with expressions of interest in u/13 and u/14.

✔️FREE membership, which includes insurance, playing jersey, player polo, socks and shorts👏🏻

✔️If you’re a new player, you go into the draw to win a $200 SportsPower Picton voucher and returning players can win a $100 SportsPower voucher💸

Enquiries please email bargobunniesjrlfc@gmail.com or call Pete on 0414 251 122 or Wade on 0408 690 382 or message us on our Facebook page 📱

BJP Physie

Yerrinbool-Bargo Soccer Club

Yerrinbool-Bargo Soccer Club is now accepting registrations for the 2024 season. Register online to secure your spot now! For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/yerrinboolbargosoccerclub/

Saint Anthony's Netball Club

Mittagong Wildcats Netball Club

Mittagong Wildcats is an inclusive club for netball players of all ages. We know that playing a team sport makes us feel good. Our Club, run by a dedicated team of volunteers, is focused on developing the skill levels of all players and their love of the game! Players learn key social and physical skills that empower them way beyond the confines of the court.

Beyond The 80

Join Beyond the 80 – a FREE 10-week journey to a healthier lifestyle! For girls aged 7-11 and their families in Western Sydney. Boost your rugby league skills and embrace healthy lifestyle activities together.

Click here to join or for more information. Limited spots are available – Enrol now!

Buxton Netball Club

http://buxtonnc.nsw.netball.com.au/

South West Sydney Orchestras

Mittagong Hockey Club

Mittagong Junior Disco  

• Date: Saturday, 24 February
• Time: 4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
• Venue: Mittagong RSL – Bessemer Street, Mittagong
• Cost: $5
• Ages: 0-14
• Please note: This is a CASH ONLY  and Alcohol-Free event.
• All money raised goes back to the children in the Southern Highlands community.  

We hope to see you there!