We were immensely proud last week to be included in a Daily Telegraph article about ‘best performing schools in NAPLAN’ in the Penrith area, with Wollemi reported as ‘a close second’ best performing Primary school. I shared with you at the time how happy we were with our students’ performance, above not only State but Statistically Similar Schools in all strands across all 4 cohorts. It is good to have that public recognition, but we do not ‘rest on our laurels’ as the saying goes, nor is NAPLAN a competition but a tool. Our boys in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 are gearing up to sit the NAPLAN examinations beginning on next Wednesday, March 15. This involves becoming familiar with the format of the test and the online platform that will be used. In this way, we ensure that on the day they are able to offer an accurate reflection of their basic skills. This gives both parents and school a valuable tool to measure progress over time and enables us to support our boys where they need it most.

In the competitive field, we have had some great news of late. Firstly, congratulations to John McDonald who won gold in 100m and silver in 200m at the Athletics State Championships for U17. We are immensely proud of his achievement. Congratulations also to the boys who represented Wollemi at the Hills Zone Swimming Carnival on Monday, as well as our Secondary Public Speakers who spoke so eloquently last Friday. 5 out of 9 of our juniors went through to the next round. More impressively, our two seniors - Noah T and Sourav S - battled 19 other contestants for 4 spots, and both made it. Well done you guys!    

We had our first Father & Son Camp this weekend at Yarramundi for Year 7s. It included many newcomers to the Father and Son experience, and I can only say they have all become instant fans. It was such a great experience! I wanted to share with you something that happened and I think encapsulates the ‘Wollemi spirit. One of the dads has significant difficulties with mobility. This did not prevent him from attending the camp, enabling his son to enjoy the experience and contributing to the wonderful atmosphere. When it was time for the ‘giant swing’, which is a bit scary, this father, to everyone’s surprise, not only went on but did it twice. His reasoning? To giving his son a good example to the best of his ability. It was a beautiful moment and a lesson neither I nor the other fathers and their sons are likely to forget anytime soon. A big thank you to Mr. Vassallo for a great job steering the weekend with his boundless energy to a  successful end!     

Tomorrow is Open Day at Wollemi and for the first time in recent memory, perhaps ever, we had to close applications to attend and open a waiting list for Term 2 Open Day. This is encouraging news in this last stage of the expansion of the school. As you well know, the best path to growth is when our own families send their friends, neighbours, and relatives our way. So, keep them coming!                                                                                                                                                          

James Ramos, Headmaster

We are starting the second week of Lent! Let’s renew our Lenten resolutions, offering all our prayers and fasting for the intentions of Pope Francis.

And don’t forget that this year St Joseph’s Solemnity is on the 20th because the 19th is the fourth Sunday of Lent.

As vice-captain, I find myself in many situations where I have to speak in front of an audience. Whilst now I may speak quite comfortably and without hesitation, this is not a skill I was born with, but rather developed throughout my life. Millions of people in the world suffer from stage fright or performance anxiety. I was one of those millions.

13 years ago, there was an event happening for a major festival. An audience of 500 watching the performances. Some were singing, some were dancing, and 5-year-old me wanted to perform something. Time quickly passed, and I was announced on stage. I marched up on stage, full confidence, ready to perform a poem I learned from preschool. I see the mic in front of me -adjust it down to my height- and look at the crowd.

I froze.

Our most senior Chemistry students are currently polishing off their second topic Acid/Base Reactions. Pictured is our Vice Captain Sourav Suresh performing his first Acid/Base titration - this technique is used to accurately calculate the concentration of an acid or base. Rest assured, he now knows to remove the funnel before starting. 

Our 11 Chemistry students have been performing experiments focused on separating mixtures using various techniques. Here they are pictured performing fractional distillation to separate a solution of two or more liquids by exploiting their differences in boiling point. They managed to successfully distil alcohol from wine and tested its purity via ignition.

Year 9 students have been learning about the different geological processes that occur as a result of the movement of tectonic plates. The boys completed an investigation to see how certain building structures can minimise the impact of earthquakes . Students used an app to measure the acceleration of different building structures while an earthquake was simulated.

To start the year, Year 7 has been working through our first topic: Working Scientifically.  So far, they have successfully investigated bunsen burners, determined the effect of temperature on the dissolving rate of sugar, explored the effect of surface material (metal or plastic) on the melting rate of ice and more! 

Next week is NAPLAN week.

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of week 7 and Monday of week eight all students in Years 3, 5, 7 and 9 will be doing online NAPLAN testing.

A quick reminder that all students need their own set of headphones, not air pods or Bluetooth wireless AirPods headphones. If you don't have any, they can be easily purchased for under $5 from $2 shops or from Officeworks.

It is important that all students have a pair of headphones with them on the day and that they have checked that they work.

If you have any questions about  NAPLAN don't hesitate to get in touch.

Rogan Jacobson, Director of Teaching and Learning

This year sees a welcome return to face-to-face public speaking after three years of interruptions due to covid.

Our Wollemi boys, however, didn’t waste any time in reasserting our strong historical performance in the Catholic Schools competition. In a format that sees the majority of students eliminated in Round 1, just over half of our students have progressed to Round 2, which is the Western Zone final. Our performance in the Senior division was particularly striking: of the 19 speakers from various schools at our venue, 15 were eliminated, but both our boys have progressed.

Congratulations to Noah Tabone and Sourav Suresh of Year 12, Matthias Soriano of Year 10, Alex Elbayeh of Year 8, and Dominic Sheary of Year 7 who will now attempt to progress to the overall grand final.

Congratulations also to Fouad Elias, Thomas Gaid, Yoav Nasayo, and Jerome Joe, who I’m sure will benefit greatly from the experience.

Brett Wright

Father Son camps are an important part of life at Wollemi.  Last weekend, the College hosted our  Year 7 Father-Son Camp at the beautiful bushland setting of YMCA Camp Yarramundi in the Hawkesbury Valley. I had the privilege of joining our fathers and sons at this camp. This weekend provided a great opportunity for our Year 7 Fathers and Sons to come together to bond and enjoy one another’s company. Over the course of the weekend, our fathers and sons were involved in a range of activities: They scaled the dizzying heights of the outdoor high rock-climbing wall, worked together on a range of initiatives that tested their problems solving, communication, and teamwork skills (the ‘blind ninja’ was a particular favourite!) and they sailed through the air at breakneck speed on the giant swing. Boys also enjoyed playing a range of sports including indoor cricket, tennis, basketball bump, and touch football. The highlight for many was our Father Son Basketball match. The competitiveness and skills of both fathers and sons on the court were something to behold. In the end, it was our fathers who managed to win the day in what was a close-fought tussle. Well done dads! The day was made even more special as we celebrated three of our Year 7 boys' 12th Birthdays - Justine Spiteri, Javier Ramos, and Franz Santos - to an enthusiastic chorus of ‘Happy Birthday’ and cake. The day ended with a rosary, followed by roasting marshmallows by an open campfire. 

An invitation to Wollemi Dads.

Wollemi would like to extend an invitation to our Wollemi fathers to join us at a Dads’ Night, the first one for 2023  will be on Friday the 17 March at 6 pm here at Wollemi.

This night will be an opportunity for dads to come together and enjoy a meal, beer, and one another's company.  A plate of something to share would be most welcome, to RSVP, kindly complete the form here.

I hope to meet you in person and catch up on the night.

James Ramos, Headmaster

URGENT REMINDER: YEAR 7 IMMUNISATIONS - FRIDAY 10TH MARCH 2023

If you wish your son to receive the vaccinations offered under the NSW Adolescent Vaccination Program and have not already completed the online consent, we kindly ask that you complete this as a matter of urgency, no later than Thursday 9th March 2023.  

If you having difficulties online and require a paper consent form, they can be collected from the office tomorrow.

 Year 7 students are offered free vaccines for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (dTpa) and human papillomavirus (HPV). NSW Public Health Nurses will be attending the College to administer vaccinations on Friday 10 March 2023.

Please pray for our sick Wollemi family and friends:

Benjie Santiago, father to Aryel (Class of 2020); Emmanuel Hanna, brother to George (6B) Victor Sciberras, father to Marianne and Carmel Spiteri, grandfather to Justin in Year 7B; Louise Varas, mother to Sebastian in 3B;  Mariano Valladores, father to Ela and Will O'Neill,  grandfather to Michael in 9B and John-Paul in 4B; Amelia Acasio,  grandmother to Peyton (7B) and Angelo (5G); John Cassar, grandfather to Nicholas Cassar (6B).

Please pray for the soul of the recently deceased and the family left behind:

John Cotter, father to Tylie and Geoff Kerin, grandfather to Chase in 8G; Thresiamma Kurian,  mother to Sajamma and Bennichen Anthony, grandmother to  Abel in 9B; Charles Tabone, father to Joe and Joanna, grandfather to Noah in Year 12; Patricia Tight,  grandmother to Jacky and Warren Ward, great grandmother to Tobias Ward in 3B.

_{If you would like to add any intentions to the Prayer Board, please send them to admin@wollemi.nsw.edu.au.  Kindly notify admin@wollemi.nsw.edu.au when your intentions can be removed.} 

The school gates will be opened at 8:15 am and students are not allowed onto the school premises before this time unless there are co-curricular commitments. If you are dropping your child/ren off before 8.15 am, please remind them that they are to stay outside the gates until it is opened. 

A reminder that when collecting your child/ren parents can either:

• Park their car in the outside car park and walk into the school/pedestrian gate to pick up their child
• Use the car line process where your child will come to the car. 

To help with the flow of the carline and traffic in the area we kindly ask that: 

• If you are using the car line, we ask parents to not exit the car.
• Please collect your child/children from 3.25 pm and 3.45 pm when Teacher supervision ends.
•  Reminder parents NOT to park along Gipps Rd in the afternoon as it causes congestion and risks the safety of our students.

ABSENCES

If your child is absent from school an Engage absence form must be completed first thing in the morning. It is a legal requirement to provide an absence note no more than 7 days after the last day of the absence.  Absences will remain as unexplained absences if a note is not received or is received more than 7 days after the last day of the absence.

Instructions on how to complete an absence form can be found below. 

How to Complete an Absence Form on Engage

Please find below some simple instructions on how to complete an absence form. 

• Select the heading Daybook and select "Pupil Daybook"
• Click on "add new entry"
• If your child is COVID positive or a close contact select: "01b Covid POSITIVE or ISOLATION Status" from the drop-down menu
• If your child is absent for any other reason, arriving late or leaving early please select: "01 Absent, Late or Early Departure Note" from the drop-down menu 
• Then click on the "add new entry" button to the right. It will bring up the form for you to complete
• Select which of your children is away in the left column and press the -> arrow button in the middle, so that the selected name goes from the left column to the right. If you select the double arrow it will move all your children's names to the right column if you need to do an absence form for all of them for the same reason. 
• Once you have completed the form make sure that you click "save and close" at the bottom of the page when completed (not "save") 
• You also have the ability to upload a doctor's certificate, if applicable.

Click on the links below to complete the relevant forms in Engage.  You will find these links under Announcements on the top right-hand side of this newsletter. 

● To update your contact details

● Submit an Absentee Form

● Submit an Extended Leave Form(for holidays, weddings, etc.)

● Submit an Exemption From School Form (for external activities, medical appointments, funerals etc.)

For more information on using the Engage Parent Portal please go to our Parent Portal Resource Site

The well-being and safety of all our Wollemi Community are of primary importance. We need to be especially vigilant at the conclusion of the school day as there is increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic around the school precinct. Students can be unpredictable. 

While traffic around the School can be quite busy in the afternoon, I would ask all parents for their continued patience in this regard. It has recently come to my attention that there are some parents who are not following the car line procedures in the afternoon. Instead of entering the school via the far gate closest to the end of the cul-de-sac (which is the recognised School procedure - see diagram below), they are entering the school via the first gate to try to avoid the congestion and ‘cut in’ into the carline. 

This practice is dangerous both to pedestrians and other drivers. I would ask that we please abide by the school’s car line procedures. The last thing we all want is for any of our students or family members to be injured. 

Thank you in advance for your help with this. 

David Vassallo

After the combined, competitors-only, carnival of 2022, it was great to see (and hear!) so many of our secondary students attend the Wollemi Secondary Swimming Carnival.

While the competition for places to attend the Hills Zone Swimming Carnival was at the forefront of many students’ minds, this didn’t stop our boys from providing amazing support for their mates throughout the day with lots of house colour and noise.

Many great races were run throughout the day, highlighted by our 50m Freestyle final of the 7 fastest times throughout the day, regardless of age.

The house chants created by our house captains were a fantastic way to finish the day.

Congratulations to all of our race winners!

Special thanks must go to the secondary teachers who all played a role in ensuring the day ran safely and smoothly. 

Firstly, congratulations to all of our Primary and Secondary students who qualified to attend the Hills Zone Swimming Carnival on Monday. This alone is a fantastic achievement and you should be proud of your efforts to get there. 

Our day started with our Primary Carnival. The primary boys showed great resilience and persistence regardless of how they were going in their race. They always ensured they gave their personal best until the end. 

As a school, we finished 6th overall in the points out of 10 schools. A fantastic achievement!

Special mention to Jacob Abacum, William Casserley, and Joel Leggatt who placed in their events. 

Joel Leggatt was runner-up age champion for 10-year-old boys. Well done Joel!

Our secondary boys endured a long afternoon of events but always ensured they were ready to go when it came time for them to compete. Many students who have attended Hills Zone Swimming Carnival in the past bettered their previous achievements. It was great to see our boys' willingness to try and achieve their personal best. 

Special mention to Klim Drozd who placed in two of his events.

Thank you must go to the students for giving their all, to the parents for their support of the boys throughout the day, and to Mr Luke Dominici and Mr Paul Garzaniti for assisting in the organising and logistics of the day.

Classic Wollemi basketball game (battle of No.1 and No.2 in U16 Div 2)... Well done boys for giving the Wollemi community an exciting & full of actions game.

That was an epic game! We rock the stadium with many families from Wollemi College cheering for both teams.

Final score: Warriors vs Wildcats game. WOLLEMI WINS!!!

(1) Warriors 24 - (2) Wildcats 20