Principal's Message
Over the last few weeks our Representative Basketball Teams have played in competitions and won. This is a wonderful achievement as they develop their skills and enjoy the satisfaction of having played well. What is more important is the life lessons that these students are learning.
Being on any team, not just basketball, requires commitment, teamwork and dedication – all qualities that students should develop. One of most critical aspects of being a successful team player is having strong positive interpersonal relationships with teammates. This applies in any area of life and is part of our intentional focus in developing the whole child at Wahroonga Adventist School.
The qualities of being able to see life from another person’s point of view, of working hard and not giving up, develop resilience and empathy. As the opportunities for our students to be involved in a variety of teams broaden, from basketball to chess, from STEM to Chapel, broaden, it is our strategic intention to partner with you in developing young people of character who will think and act for the benefit of others, not just themselves.
It is not just the students who work in teams, it is also staff and parents. Teachers have been busy collaborating and writing reports which will provide you with feedback about your child’s progress, not just academically, but in their attitude to learning. I also want to acknowledge the outstanding contribution of parents who are actively involved in supporting families in our school, particularly our mums who cook on a weekly basis to provide Meals With Love.
There are many connections and unseen actions that build our school community, and I thank each of you for being part of lifting up our students as they learn lessons for life.
May God bless you.
Mrs Julia Heise - Principal
Chaplains' Message
Coming down off the back of the recent weeks of worship, we are reflecting on how thankful we are to be part of such a great school, and further – to be able to able to contribute to all that God is doing here in preparing our students for the many adventurers and futures they will face. It gives me great hope to know that my daughter Sienna will one day be blessed by our Adventist schools.
As a chaplaincy team we are always looking for ways to include and lift up the students. From WOW weeks, individual support, events, and leadership opportunities, we just want to see our young people rise to all that God has called them to be.
This week I’d love to zoom in on one of our many ministry teams, our chapel coffee crew! Our coffee team leaders Chantelle & Phoebe have been doing such an awesome job in leading out along with Pr Marcus every week, just to extend a warm, tasty, welcome to you as a parent, grandparent, community member, walking through the doors of chapel. So with that, I’d love to extend the invitation to you! Come along, check out chapel this week, or next. Enjoy a hot drink on us and stick around to connect with other parents and community who are there.
Apart from that, I would love to thank all the families who choose to bring their children to WIRED. It is an awesome opportunity for students to connect with others they may not have met in the halls at school, plus its just fun!
From all of us in the team, Pr Renee, Jess, and myself, we will continue to support your family in prayer look for opportunities to encourage your children to trust all the love and future that God holds for them!
Pastor Nicholas Kross (on behalf of the Chaplaincy Team)
Calendars
Calendar of Upcoming School Events
You can access the list of upcoming School events via the link below. The School Calendar is also available under the Parent Information tab on the School website.
Term Dates for 2023
Please click on the link below to view the school term dates and public holiday information for 2023.
Whole School News
Baptism Waitara Church
A warm congratulations to Luke D and Cassie D, siblings who were baptised this past Sabbath at Waitara Church. This was a beautiful family, personal, church and school, occasion in celebration of their commitment to God.
Our Yarning Circle & Gardens in the News
Our school, along with Landcare Australia, continues to be highlighted in press all over the country.
The Seventh Day Adventist Church's magazine, The Record, highlighted our school’s environmental focus and the boost we received earlier this year with a Woolworths Junior Landcare grant. “The Woolworths Junior Landcare grant has allowed our school to expand our gardening club, to grow beautiful vegies, edibles and medicinal plants,” said head of science Leisly White. “They can see a plant grow and they can learn about the life cycle of a plant whilst at the same time growing themselves as a person.”
A photo of our students showcasing the new Yarning Circle has been included in an article in Perth Now, a Western Australian newspaper. The article states "school communities are being introduced to Indigenous people and culture through the new Landcare program".
The article further describes that "a yarning circle is not a traditional classroom environment, with four walls and a teacher standing at the front. It instead provides students with a safe outdoor space where they can come together and have a yarn on equal terms."
Primary School News
Year 1 & 2 learn about Earth's Treasures
Last week, Year 1 & 2 had a very special visitor – Pr. White (who happens to be our principal, Mrs Heise’s Dad!). He spoke to us about rocks, fossils and gemstones as part of our Science unit on Earth’s Resources. He even gave us a small piece of our very own Topaz he mined many years ago! Thank you for sharing your stories with us!
Natalie and Emily Dance Achievements
Natalie D from Year 1/2 and Emily S from Year 2 attended their first dance Eisteddfod competition for the year and scored 2nd places in their events along with their teams at the City Light Dance Festival.
Both Natalie and Emily work hard every week at their dance and have competed in a number of eisteddfods last year, including the Ultimate Dance Spectacular, Step Up The Beat, Hills Dance Spectacular and Hills Dance Eisteddfod, all in Dural. Each of them earned 2nd place in the Jazz Large Group category and Emily earned 2nd place in the Classical Group category. Well done girls!
Primary School Sport
Throughout the last two weeks we have had a lot happening with our sport gala days. Unfortunately we were unable to attend the stage 2 cricket gala day due to school photos. So we ran cricket gala day of our own the following day. The house captains helped organise the event and showed great leader ship and enthusiasm.
We also had our Basketball gala day where stage 3 boys and girls travelled to Bankstown sports complex to compete against 6 Adventist schools around Sydney. Not only did both the girls and boys come away champions of the day but they showed great sportsmanship, manners and respect to the other schools.
Mr Jack Fulton - Primary Sports Coordinator
Secondary School News
Year 11 Visits Narrabeen
Our Year 11 Biology students explored the biodiversity and abundance of the Narrabeen rock platform and identified the habitats of more than a dozen organisms. They predicted which niche habitat will have the greatest species abundance and diversity and then designed a simple practical investigation to test their prediction. Working in small groups they collected first-hand data and used a transect technique to investigate how the abiotic factors of temperature, depth and salinity will affect the distribution of at least four species.
High School Sports
CSSA State Netball Gala Day
On Monday 5 June, our U15s and Open Girls Netball team attended the CSSA State Netball Gala Day out at Jamison Netball Courts. The weather was not what we hoped for as it was cold and overcast throughout the whole day. Both teams played extremely well and showed great sportsmanship and courage, with each player supporting and encouraging their teammates. It was a successful day with a few losses and a few more victories for both our teams. Special mention goes to Sarah V who umpired 6 games! Well done to our netball girls!
CIS Cross Country
As the cross country season is nearing the end, we are proud to announce 9 students from Wahroonga Adventist School qualified and competed at the Combined Independent School’s Cross Country Championships. These students journeyed out to the Sydney International Equestrian Centre and competed in the 3km, 4km or 6km race (depending on their age). This is a huge achievement and the following students should be really proud of their efforts:
Danny J (Year 12), Isabella K (Year 12), Will K (Year 11), Ella G (Year 11), Katie M (Year 11), Charlotte D (Year 11), Greta A (Year 10), Annie D (Year 9), Maile W (Year 8)
NSW All-Schools Swimming Championships
The NSW All-Schools Swimming Championships is one of the highest forms of swimming competitions in the State. Our school is very proud of Salani S (Year 9) and Maile W (Year 8) who qualified and were selected to compete at this competition last Friday on 9th of June at the Sydney Olympic Park Aquatic Centre. This is a fantastic achievement for these 2 girls who continue to demonstrate determination, skill and discipline in their respective swimming events. Congratulations girls!
Mr Ignatius Ah-You - Secondary Sports Coordinator
Library News
Premier’s Reading Challenge
Congratulations to Flynn M (2A), Yijie S (4K), Ella A (6A), Jamie C (6C), Bella J (6C), Ashton K (6C), Abbey R (6C), and Ira S (6C), Ethan S (6A), Eva Denny (6C) and Jackson S (6C) who have all completed the Premier’s Reading Challenge. Keep up the great reading!
The Premier’s Reading Challenge does not finish until August 18 so why not give it a go? Please contact Mrs Savage if you need your username and password. Happy Reading!!
Library WebAPP
The Library WebAPP is a great place to keep up with library news, search the catalogue, check your child’s borrowing details and view their borrowing history. Click on the button below and follow the instructions on the Guest page to log-in to your child’s records.
Holiday Borrowing
This week is the last week of borrowing for Prep students for this term. Please make sure all library books are returned to the Library before the school holidays.
Borrowing is continuing up to the holidays for all other students. If you would like your child to have extra books for holiday reading (maximum of 10 books), please email me your request (library@wahroonga.adventist.edu.au) and these books can be collected in the last week of term.
Upcoming Library Events
August 18: P-4 Book Week Performance ‘Way too Cool’ & Premier’s Reading Challenge entries due
August 19-25: CBCA Book Week ‘Read, Grow, Inspire’ & Year 5-6 Library Bag Podcasts
August 25: P-6 Book Week dress up day. Theme: Inspiring book characters
Mrs Leonie Savage - Librarian
Uniform Shop
Back to School Vouchers
A reminder that Back to School Vouchers expire on June 30, this month!! If you have some vouchers that need to be used and need uniforms then now is the time! Uniform shop hours are noted below.
Uniform Shop Hours
The Uniform shop will be closed on the first Thursday of term, 20 July. Following the first week the uniform Shop is open Thursdays during the school term from 8:30am – 12pm during the school term.
Mrs Meagan Sullivan - Uniform Shop Manager
Home and School
Movie and Pizza Night
Please join us at Fox Valley Adventist Community Church ⛪ for a fun-filled family Movie and Pizza night. Click the link below to view the trailer for Ratatouille.
At $5 a family ticket, it is a complete steal. Book your family and pizza ticket by clicking the link below.
“Our Year 11’s will cooking tasty pizza’s and providing drinks and snacks as a means to raise money for their Year 11 Trip to Fiji. Where the students will be refurbishing the boys dormatry and the Chapel.
Come meet some new parents to build community, new friendships, and to have an enjoyable and relaxing family movie and pizza night.
Don’t forget to bring your bean bags or comfy cushion to sit on, but seats will also be available.
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Meals with Love
To those families who have kindly provided food and meals to our Meals with Love Program we very much appreciate your generosity and thoughtfulness. We have a large demand on our Meals with Love portfolio at the present time so we welcome anyone to consider providing us with a home cooked meal.
Please check with our Meals with Love volunteers Tish Armstrong or Nicola Binns via the Meals with Love email as noted in flyer below.
Next Meeting for Home and School
Tuesday 8th August 7.30pm
Mrs Michelle Roberts - Home and School President (homeandschool@wahroonga.adventist.edu)